Free rent increase notice

A rent increase notice is a written letter telling your tenant the current rent, the new rent and the date the new amount takes effect. It must give at least the notice your state or city requires, and on a fixed-term lease the new rent usually can't start until the term ends. Fill in the form below and the notice calculates the increase in dollars and percent, checks your dates against the notice period you choose, and prints or saves as a PDF.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-26 · by MakeLease Editorial Team

Parties

Landlord or property manager (required)

Landlord mailing address (optional)

Tenant name(s) (required)

List every adult tenant named on the lease.

Rental property address (required)

Rent change

Type of tenancy

Month-to-monthFixed-term lease renewal

Check your lease. Most fixed-term leases fix the rent until the term ends, so the new rent usually starts with the renewal term.

Current monthly rent (required)

New monthly rent (required)

Dates and notice period

Date of this notice (required)

The date you deliver or mail it.

New rent takes effect on (required)

Notice your state or city requires — check before relying on this

Used only to check your effective date. Rules vary by state and city, and some require more notice for larger increases. Look yours up in the landlord-tenant law hub.

Other terms

What else changes (optional)

All other lease terms stay the same

Payment instructions (optional)

Contact for questions (required)

Blank PDF

Free, no account needed. Showing example details. Replace them with yours.

Notice of Rent Increase

Date of notice:November 1, 2026

To (tenants):Jordan Lee and Sam Rivera

Rental property:123 Maple Street, Unit 4, Springfield

From (landlord):Taylor Morgan, PO Box 210, Springfield

Dear Jordan Lee and Sam Rivera,

This notice is to inform you that the monthly rent for the property listed above will change as shown below, effective January 1, 2027.

Current monthly rent:$1,850

New monthly rent:$1,950

Change:+$100 per month (+5.4%)

Effective date:January 1, 2027

This notice is dated November 1, 2026, which is 61 days before the new rent takes effect. The new rent applies to each rent payment for periods beginning on or after the effective date.

Except as stated in this notice, all other terms of your lease or rental agreement remain the same.

Paying the new rent

Keep paying through the same online portal. The amount due will update on the effective date.

If you have questions about this notice, please contact (555) 010-2244 or taylor@example.com.

Sincerely,

Landlord or agent signature (Taylor Morgan)

Date

Tenant (acknowledging receipt, optional) signature

Date

What to include in a rent increase notice

The date of the notice. The notice period runs from delivery, so also keep your own record of how and when you delivered it.
Every adult tenant named on the lease and the full property address, including the unit number.
The current rent and the new rent, both as monthly amounts. Showing the increase in dollars and percent removes any doubt about what changes.
The effective date, ideally the first day of a rental period so the first payment at the new rate is a full month.
Anything else that changes (pet rent, parking, a utility charge), or a statement that all other lease terms stay the same.
How to pay the new amount if anything about payment changes, and who to contact with questions.
Your signature, plus an optional line for the tenant to acknowledge receipt.

How much notice is required?

There is no single national notice period for a rent increase on a private rental. The required notice is set by state law and sometimes by city or county ordinance, and it can depend on the type of tenancy, how long the tenant has lived there and how large the increase is. Some states and cities also cap how much rent can go up in a year through rent control or rent stabilization, and some require longer notice for larger increases. Look up your rules in our state landlord-tenant law guides before you pick a date, then enter the required days in the generator so it can check your effective date.

Fixed-term leases: check your lease. Most fixed-term leases fix the rent until the term ends, so a new rent usually starts with the renewal term unless the lease itself provides for an increase. Give the notice early enough that the full notice period runs before the renewal term begins.

Month-to-month tenancies: rent can usually be changed with proper written notice. The notice your state requires to change a month-to-month tenancy is the minimum; giving more is always allowed and often appreciated.

Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) and other HUD programs: if the unit is in a HUD program or the tenant uses a voucher, rent changes follow the program rules and the HAP contract, not just this notice. For voucher tenancies, federal rules require the owner to notify the housing agency at least 60 days before any change in the rent to owner takes effect, and the new rent is subject to a rent reasonableness review (24 CFR 982.308(g)). Contact your local agency before sending anything; see HUD's Housing Choice Voucher program page.

Worked example: the math behind the notice

Say the rent is $1,850 and you want to raise it to $1,950. The increase is $1,950 − $1,850 = $100 a month. The percentage is the increase divided by the current rent: 100 ÷ 1,850 = 0.054, or about 5.4%.

You date and deliver the notice on November 1, 2026. Counting calendar days from that date, the earliest effective date for each notice period is:

Required notice	Notice dated	Earliest effective date	Practical choice (first of a month)
30 days	November 1, 2026	December 1, 2026	December 1, 2026
60 days	November 1, 2026	December 31, 2026	January 1, 2027
90 days	November 1, 2026	January 30, 2027	February 1, 2027

With 60 days' notice, December 31 is the earliest date, but rent is due on the first, so January 1, 2027 is the cleaner choice: the first payment at $1,950 is a full month and nobody has to prorate. That is the example shown in the generator above.

Two cautions. First, this is plain calendar-day counting. Some rules count days differently, start the clock when the tenant receives a mailed notice rather than when you send it, or require the change to line up with the start of a rental period, so leave a margin. Second, the same dollar figure is a different percentage at different rents, and some rules turn on the percentage. For reference, on a $1,850 rent:

Increase	Dollars per month	New rent
3%	$55.50	$1,905.50
5%	$92.50	$1,942.50
5.4%	$100	$1,950
8%	$148	$1,998

Setting the amount and communicating it

Start with comparable rents

Look at current listings for units like yours nearby: same bedroom count, similar condition, parking and amenities. Asking rents are a ceiling, not a guarantee, so weight units that have actually leased recently. If your rent is well below the market, a few smaller steps over successive renewals are often easier for a tenant to absorb than one large jump.

Weigh the increase against turnover

A tenant who pays on time and looks after the place is worth something. If the increase prompts them to leave, add up what a vacancy would cost you: a month or more of lost rent, cleaning and repairs, listing and screening time. Compare that with the extra rent the increase brings in over a year. Sometimes a smaller increase, or a slightly smaller one in exchange for a longer renewal term, comes out ahead.

Communicate it like a business change

Give more notice than the minimum when you can. A heads-up conversation before the formal notice helps.
A short reason (higher taxes or insurance, improvements, local market rents) is not usually required, but tenants take an increase better with context.
Keep the notice itself factual: amounts, dates, what else changes and who to contact.
Invite questions, and put any agreement you reach in writing.
If the increase comes with a renewal, pair the notice with a lease renewal letter or a new lease from the lease agreement generator.

Apply increases consistently

The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to discriminate in the terms or conditions of a rental because of race, color, religion, sex, familial status or national origin, and separately protects people with disabilities (42 U.S.C. 3604). Rent is a term of the rental, so base increases on the unit and the market, not on who the tenant is. The Act also prohibits coercing, threatening or interfering with anyone for exercising fair housing rights (42 U.S.C. 3617), and many states separately restrict increases that retaliate against a tenant for complaints or repair requests. Keep a note of why you set each amount.

Rent Increase Notice by state

Each state page shows that state's cited rules for this document and opens the form preset for the state. States missing from the list don't have enough statewide rules in our dataset yet; use the form above and check your state's statute.

Delivery tips

Follow the notice clause in your lease first. Many leases say how notices must be delivered (in person, by mail, to a specific address). Your state may also set the permitted methods; check your state's landlord-tenant law.
Use a method that creates proof. Certified mail with a return receipt (USPS calls it Return Receipt) gives you a dated record of mailing and delivery. Hand delivery works too if you get a signed, dated acknowledgment or bring a witness.
Leave a margin on the dates. Deliver early enough that the full notice period fits even if the tenant receives it a few days after you send it. States differ on when a mailed notice counts as given, so don't cut it to the day.
Keep a complete copy. Save the signed document, the mailing receipt, the tracking printout and any reply. Store them with the lease.
Count from the delivery date you can prove. If you mail the notice, base your effective date on when the tenant will actually receive it, not just the date printed on the letter.

Frequently asked questions

Can I raise the rent in the middle of a fixed-term lease?

Usually not. Check your lease: most fixed-term leases fix the rent until the term ends, and a mid-term increase generally needs a clause in the lease that allows it or the tenant's written agreement. The usual approach is to give notice of the new rent before the renewal term begins.

How do I calculate the rent increase percentage?

Subtract the current rent from the new rent, divide by the current rent, and multiply by 100. Going from $1,850 to $1,950 is a $100 increase, and 100 divided by 1,850 is about 5.4%. The generator on this page does the math and prints both figures on the notice.

Is there a limit on how much I can raise the rent?

It depends on where the property is. Many places have no cap for market-rate housing, but some states and cities limit annual increases through rent control or rent stabilization, and some require longer notice for larger increases. Check your state and local rules before you set the amount.

Does the tenant have to sign the rent increase notice?

The notice is signed by the landlord or agent. The optional acknowledgment line is there because a signed, dated receipt is good proof that the tenant got the notice and when. If the increase comes with a lease renewal, the tenant signs the renewal lease or addendum, not this notice.

What if my tenant uses a Housing Choice Voucher?

Rent changes for a voucher tenancy follow the program rules and the HAP contract with the housing agency. Federal rules require the owner to notify the agency at least 60 days before a change in the rent to owner takes effect, and the new amount is subject to a rent reasonableness review.

Sources

42 U.S.C. 3604, Fair Housing Act: discrimination in rental (Federal statute)
42 U.S.C. 3617, Fair Housing Act: interference, coercion or intimidation (Federal statute)
24 CFR 982.308, Housing Choice Voucher program: lease and tenancy (Federal regulation; (g) covers rent changes)
HUD: Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) (HUD program page)

Sources last checked 2026-10-26.

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