Free Rent Increase Letter
Create a free Rent Increase Notice in PDF or Word with our easy-to-use template. Let your tenant know you plan to increase rent with a friendly notice that meets all legal requirements.
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Last Update May 8th, 2023
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What Is a Rent Increase Notice
Rent Increase Notices are sent to tenants by landlords or property managers when the rent needs to be raised. This notice can only be used when the rental agreement is not for a fixed term, such as month-to-month tenancies.
The Rent Increase Letter lets the tenant know that their rent will go up, and by how much it will increase.
It is essential to check with your state’s laws regarding how much notice is necessary before raising a tenant’s rent.
Use our Rent Increase Notice template to draft your legal template in minutes.
Friendly Rent Increase Letter sample
Review the sample letter below to better understand how to write a friendly landlord Rent Increase Letter.
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Date]
Dear [Name of tenant],
I am sending this letter to inform you that we have decided to raise your monthly rent by [$ amount]/month starting [date]. This change will be reflected on your next invoice, which will be due on [date]. If you do not wish to pay the increase, your lease will end on [date].
If you have any questions about this change, please feel free to reach me at [phone number] or email me at [email].
Sincerely,
[Your name]
How to Legally Increase Rent on a Tenant
To legally increase rent, you must include all the necessary information in your Rent Increase Notice.
Apart from letting your tenant know about the increase with sufficient notice, structuring your letter correctly will make your document legally valid.
To write your Rent Increase Letter, you must do the following:
Add the header: This includes information such as the return address and your name. It also includes the date of the document and a friendly greeting that addresses the tenant(s) in the agreement.
Mention the lease: This part contains the date the lease started.
Explain the rent increase: This section must contain the amount of the increase and the due date.
Conclude the letter: The ending should have a way to get in contact with you, along with your signature and the date.
Use our legal form for Rental Increase Notice template to make the writing process error-free and simple.
How Much Notice is Necessary for a Rent Increase
The amount of notice you must give to your tenant before increasing their rent depends on the laws of your state.
Asking how much notice for a rent increase in Florida and asking the same question regarding a different state could have two completely different answers.
In general, if a state has a minimum amount of warning, landlords must provide at least 30 days' notice of a rent increase.
Some states also require that the letter be delivered in a certain way. For example, in Alabama, a sheriff is the one to service the Rent Increase Notice to a tenant.
Rent increase laws by state
Before giving a Rent Increase Notice to your tenant, it is essential to know how much notice is required.
Review the table below to see how much notice you must give before raising rent in your state.
| State | Required Notice | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No notice required Common practice to provide a 30’ day notice | N/A |
| Alaska | 30 days’ notice | N/A |
| Arizona | No notice required | N/A |
| Arkansas | No notice required. However, a 30 days’ notice is common practice | N/A |
| California | 30 days’ notice (10% increase or less) 60 days’ (greater than 10% increase) | § 827 |
| Colorado | 60 days’ notice | §38-12-701 |
| Connecticut | No notice required. However, a 30 days’ notice is common practice | N/A |
| Delaware | 60 days’ notice | § 5107 |
| Florida | No notice required. However, a Miami-Dade ordinance requires 60 days’ notice if rent is increased by 5%. | N/A Ordinance No. 22-30 |
| Georgia | No notice required | N/A |
| Hawaii | 45 days’ notice for month to month tenancies 15 days’ notice for tenancies less than month to month | § 521-21 |
| Idaho | 30 days’ notice | § 55-307(3) |
| Illinois | No notice required. However, a 30 days’ notice is common practice | N/A |
| Indiana | 30 days’ notice | § IC 32-31-5-4 |
| Iowa | 30 days’ notice | § 562A.13 |
| Kansas | What’s stated in the lease | § 58-2545 |
| Kentucky | No notice required. However, a 30 days’ notice is common practice | N/A |
| Louisiana | No notice required. However, a 10 days’ notice is common practice | N/A |
| Maine | 45 days’ notice Some cities may impose different notices requirements. For example, in Portland a 75 days’ notice is required | § 6015 |
| Maryland | No notice required at the state level. However, a 30 days’ notice is common practice Montgomery County requires a 90 days’ notice Takoma Park County requires a 60 days’ notice | N/A § 6.20.020 |
| Massachusetts | 30 days’ notice | Tenant Rights and Responsibilities |
| Michigan | No notice required. However, a 30 days’ notice is common practice | N/A |
| Minnesota | A one month notice | Landlords and Tenants Rights and Responsibilities |
| Mississippi | No notice required | N/A |
| Missouri | No notice required | N/A |
| Montana | 15 days’ notice | § 70-26-109 |
| Nebraska | 60 days’ notice | § 76-1490 |
| Nevada | 60 days or 30 days in a periodic tenancy of less than 1 month. | § NRS 118A.300 |
| New Hampshire | 30 days’ notice | § RSA 540:2 |
| New Jersey | 30 days’ notice | Rent increase bulletin |
| New Mexico | 30 days’ notice | § 47-8-15 |
| New York | 30 days’ notice for tenancies less than a year 60 days’ notice for tenancies over a year but less than two years 90 days’ notice for tenancies over two years | Section 226-C Real Property |
| North Carolina | No notice required. However, a 7 days’ notice is common practice | N/A |
| North Dakota | 30 days’ notice | § 47-16-07 |
| Ohio | No notice required. However, a 30 days’ notice is common practice | N/A |
| Oklahoma | No notice required. However, a 30 days’ notice is common practice | N/A |
| Oregon | 7 days’ notice for week to week tenancies 90 days’ notice for tenancies other than week to week at any time after one year of tenancy | § 90.323 |
| Pennsylvania | No notice required. However, it is customary to provide the same amount of notice when terminating a tenancy. | N/A |
| Rhode Island | 30 days’ notice 60 days’ notice for tenants over the age of 62 | § 34-18-16.1 |
| South Carolina | No notice required. However, a 30 days’ notice is common practice | N/A |
| South Dakota | 30 days’ notice | § 43-32-13 |
| Tennessee | No notice required. However, a 30 days’ notice is common practice | N/A |
| Texas | No notice required. However, a 30 days’ notice is common practice | N/A |
| Utah | No notice required | N/A |
| Vermont | 60 days’ notice 90 days’ notice in Burlington | § 4455 Code of Burlington |
| Virginia | No notice required. However, a 30 days’ notice is common practice | N/A |
| Washington | 60 days’ notice 30 days’ notice in the city of Seattle if tenant has subsidized rent | § RCW 59.18.140(3)(a) Seattle Code |
| Washington D.C. | 30 days’ notice | Code of the District of Columbia |
| West Virginia | No notice required. However, a 30 days’ notice is common practice | N/A |
| Wisconsin | 28 days’ notice | § 704.19 |
| Wyoming | No notice required | N/A |
How to Calculate Rent Increase
If you are interested in increasing the rental cost of your property but aren’t sure by how much, there are a few things you should consider.
Firstly, check the requirements and limitations of your state before making any type of increase.
For example, you won’t be able to raise the rent only because the tenant asks you to make repairs to the property.
Once you’ve gone over limitations and requirements, review the following factors to figure out how much you should raise the rent:
Rental property market where you live
How often rent is raised
Consumer Price Index
Calculated rate of inflation
How your tenant has behaved while living in your property
It’s normal for landlords to increase their rent by 1% to 2% to adjust for the inflation rate. However, it’s also normal to increase the price of rent by up to 5% depending on the other factors.
Rent Increase Notice Sample
To further help you understand how to structure your Rent Increase Notice, review the example below of what a correctly written letter should look like.
Other Real Estate Documents
When creating your Rent Increase Notice, there are other documents you can refer to and make the writing process easier.
You might end up in a situation similar to raising the rent on a tenant, and the following related documents could come in handy.
Consult LawDistrict’s documents and information to answer questions you may have regarding legal matters.
FAQs About Rent Increase Letters
We have responded to some of the most common questions regarding Rent Increase Letters.
Review the following answers to clear up any doubt you may still have regarding how to create your Rent Increase Notice.
Does a Rent Increase Affect the Security Deposit?
A rise in rent could affect the security deposit. This also depends on the state the tenancy is taking place in.
There could be a security deposit that is twice the monthly rent, so if the amount increases, the tenant may need to add money to their security deposit.
However, it isn’t necessary to ask for more money if you decide to increase the rent.
How to Refuse a Rent Increase?
If you are a tenant and your landlord has notified you that your rent will be increased, there are a couple of things you can do.
Look over your agreement
Ensure you were notified in the required period
Speak with your landlord
If you have a month-to-month contract and your landlord has notified you in the time frame that your state’s laws determine, there is not much you can do.
However, you can speak with your landlord and explain your financial situation if you cannot afford the rental increase or feel it is unreasonable.
You are only a few steps away from your own Rent Increase Notice!