How to Increase Rent in Wales Without a Letting Agent

You do not need a letting agent to increase the rent in Wales if you are registered with Rent Smart Wales and hold the licence required to self-manage. The process is self-serviceable: download Form RHW12 from gov.wales, complete it, serve it lawfully under Section 237 of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, and keep proof of service. Letting agents charge £75–£150 plus VAT to do exactly this — and the fee typically excludes any representation if the contract-holder challenges the increase. Here is the full process, step by step, so you can do it yourself.

The Legal Requirement: Section 123 and Form RHW12

Section 123 of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 sets the statutory rent increase process for periodic standard contracts. This guide covers that notice route. Its rules are strict but straightforward:

• Form: Use prescribed Form RHW12 (or a form substantially to the same effect). A plain letter or an English Section 13 notice is not valid in Wales.
• Notice period: Minimum two full calendar months from deemed service before the new rent takes effect.
• Frequency: If no previous rent variation applies, the first notice may specify any date; each subsequent notice must specify a date at least one year after the last date a new rent took effect. For converted contracts, pre-December 2022 rent variations count under the transitional rules.
• No cap: There is no statutory percentage cap on private rent increases in Wales. You can propose any figure, subject to the timing and procedural requirements.

Step-by-Step: Serving the Notice Yourself

1. Classify your contract

First determine whether your contract is periodic or still in a fixed term. Section 123 applies to periodic standard contracts; during an active fixed term, rent changes follow any express contractual provision. If it is periodic, determine whether it is a fresh standard contract (granted on or after 1 December 2022) or a converted contract (an AST that existed before that date and converted automatically). This matters because contract-holders on converted periodic contracts can refer the increase to the Rent Assessment Committee. Fresh-contract holders cannot.

2. Check the 12-month rule

Find the last date a new rent took effect. For a converted contract, include rent variations that took effect before 1 December 2022; the transitional rules count them. If no previous rent variation applies, the first notice may specify any effective date, provided at least two months elapse between the notice and that date. Each subsequent notice must specify a date at least one year after the last date a new rent took effect. Calculate the two-month period from deemed service.

3. Download and complete Form RHW12

The form has six parts:

• Part A: Tick "periodic standard contract" (not "secure contract" — that is for social housing)
• Part B: Your full name and address as registered with Rent Smart Wales
• Part C: The full names of all contract-holders on the agreement
• Part D: The property address
• Part E: The current rent, the new rent, and the date from which the new rent takes effect. The effective date must be at least two months after deemed service and, for a subsequent notice, at least one year after the last date a new rent took effect
• Part F: The landlord or agent's signature and date. Include the explanatory notes that come with the form.

4. Serve the notice lawfully

Section 237 sets out three valid service methods:

Personal delivery — hand the notice directly to the contract-holder. Ideally have a witness present and note the date and time.

Posting to the dwelling — post or deliver the notice to the property address. For first-class post, service is deemed on the second business day after posting, excluding Sundays and bank holidays.

Electronic service — email only if the contract-holder has given written agreement identifying the designated email address and the notice is sent in a format they can read, print and store. Without that consent on file, electronic service is void and the entire notice fails.

Keep a service log: date, time, method, witness details, and any consent records. If the contract-holder later claims they never received the notice, this log is your evidence.

5. Wait and monitor

After service is deemed to have occurred, the two-month notice period runs. If you hold a converted contract, the contract-holder also has two months from receiving the notice to submit Form RAC4 to the Rent Assessment Committee. If no referral is made, the new rent takes effect on the date specified in Part E.

The Mistakes That Void a Notice

These are errors that can make a notice invalid and delay the increase:

• Wrong form: Using an English Section 13 notice or a generic rent increase letter instead of Form RHW12.
• Short notice: The effective date is less than two full calendar months after deemed service. For first-class post, service is deemed on the second business day after posting, excluding Sundays and bank holidays, so calculate the effective date from that deemed date.
• 12-month breach: For a subsequent notice, the effective date is less than one year after the last date a new rent took effect. Even one day early makes the notice defective.
• Email without consent: Serving electronically without the contract-holder's prior written agreement to receive notices that way.
• Missing contract-holders: Failing to name all joint contract-holders in Part C.
• Secure contract tick: Accidentally ticking "secure contract" in Part A — the form is for periodic standard contracts.

When an Agent Might Still Be Worth It

An agent makes sense in a narrow set of circumstances:

• You live overseas and cannot serve the notice in person or by post without significant delay
• You manage a portfolio of Welsh properties and the per-notice agent fee is cheaper than the time cost of doing each one yourself
• You are dealing with a contract-holder who has previously disputed a notice and you want a professional paper trail from the outset

Outside those situations, the process is mechanical: form, dates, service, proof. The statutory requirements are the same whether you serve the notice yourself or pay an agent to do it.

What a Compliance Guide Does That an Agent Does Not

A letting agent serves the notice for you. A compliance guide — such as Rent Increases in Wales — teaches you the system so you can serve every future notice yourself, on every property, without paying per-notice fees. It includes a Statutory Date Calculation Worksheet, a Section 237 Service Log, a Contract Gateway Decision Map, and a Rent Assessment Committee Exposure Map for converted contracts.

The agent charges per event. The guide is a one-time cost for a reusable system. For a self-managing landlord with one to a few properties, the guide pays for itself before the first agent invoice arrives.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be registered with Rent Smart Wales to serve a rent increase notice?

Rent Smart Wales registration and licensing are separate legal duties under the Housing (Wales) Act 2014. You must be registered as a landlord and either hold a licence to self-manage or appoint a licensed agent. However, Rent Smart Wales does not issue or approve individual rent increase notices — that is something you do yourself under Section 123 using Form RHW12.

Can my contract-holder refuse the increase?

On a fresh periodic contract (post-December 2022), no — the increase takes effect automatically on the date specified after the notice period. On a converted periodic contract (pre-December 2022 AST), the contract-holder can refer the proposed rent to the Rent Assessment Committee within two months. The committee then determines the open-market rent, which could be lower, the same, or higher than what you proposed.

What if I make a mistake on the form?

If the notice is defective — wrong dates, missing contract-holders, or served invalidly — it is void. You can re-serve, but the new notice needs at least two months from deemed service; for a subsequent notice, its effective date must also be at least one year after the last date a new rent took effect. On a property at £750 per month, a 5% increase is £37.50 per month, or £450 over a full year if the effective date is delayed that long.

Is there a Welsh equivalent of the English Section 13 notice?

Form RHW12 is the Welsh equivalent. It serves the same function — notifying the contract-holder of a proposed rent increase on a periodic tenancy — but the rules are different: two months' notice instead of one, and no general tribunal referral right for fresh contracts. Never use an English Section 13 notice (Form 4) for a Welsh property.

Can I serve the notice by WhatsApp or text message?

The statutory electronic-service route requires the contract-holder's written agreement to receive documents at a designated email address, and the notice must be sent in a format they can read, print and store. A general agreement to communicate by WhatsApp or text does not satisfy those stated conditions. Unless you have the required written consent on file, use personal delivery or posting.

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