The 3% rent cap ended on 31 March 2024. There’s a new process to challenge a rent increase if you think it’s too high.

Your landlord must give you a valid rent increase notice. You can challenge a rent increase if you have:

• a private residential tenancy, including mid-market rents

• an assured tenancy or short assured tenancy, unless your contract includes rules about rent increases

If you're not sure what type of tenancy you have, use our tenancy checker.

How much your rent can be increased

When you challenge an increase, a rent officer or tribunal will calculate the maximum rent increase for your tenancy.

The maximum possible increase is either 6% or 12%, but in many cases it will be lower than this.

The increase that’s allowed depends on the percentage gap between:

• your current rent

• the market value of your home, based on current rents for similar homes in your area

If the gap is 6% or less, your rent can be increased up to the market value.

If the gap is more than 6%, the increase will be calculated using a formula that keeps your rent under the market value. This can be up to a maximum of 12%.

Use the rent increase calculator on gov.scot to estimate how much your rent could be increased.

It’s complicated to work out how much is allowed, so it’s best to challenge the increase if you can.

How to challenge the increase

The process depends on your tenancy type:

• if you have a private residential tenancy, apply to Rent Service Scotland

• if you have an assured or short assured tenancy, apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Housing and Property Chamber) – download Form AT4 from gov.scot

Rent increase notices sent before 1 April 2024

If the rent cap applied to you, a rent increase notice sent before 1 April 2024 could be a maximum of:

• 3% if they sent a valid rent increase notice

• 6% if they applied to Rent Service Scotland