ABSTRACT
The initial rent for a contractual periodic assured tenancy will be that which will have been agreed by the parties at the beginning of the tenancy. The initial rent of a statutory periodic assured tenancy will be that which will have been in force at the expiry of the contractual fixed term assured tenancy. To alter these initial rents, the landlord must first serve upon the tenant a notice in the prescribed form, which must state the new rent and the date from which the rent will take effect. The earliest date from which the new rent will take effect is calculated in the same way as a common law notice to quit, as follows: (a) for a monthly tenancy, the date of increase will be one month from the day
of the month that the tenancy commenced. For example, if it started on the 23rd day of the month, and the landlord served the notice on 20 June, the earliest date of increase would be 23 July;
(b) for a weekly tenancy, the date of increase will be one week from the day of the week that the tenancy commenced; so, if it started on a Friday, and the landlord served the notice on, say, Wednesday 20 June, the earliest date of increase would be one week from the first Friday after the service of the notice (in the example, therefore, Friday 29 June);
(c) for a yearly tenancy, the date of increase will be six months from the next anniversary of the commencement date, or from the half year of the tenancy. So, if the tenancy commenced on 1 January, and the landlord served the notice on 20 December, the earliest date of increase would be 1 July following;
would be 1 January following.
