Scotland's Private Residential Tenancy has no rent-review clause you can draft your own way. Rent increases follow the statutory procedure in Part 4 of the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016: a prescribed notice, a minimum of three months before the new rent takes effect, and never more than once in any 12-month period. The tenant can refer the proposed rent to a Rent Officer at Rent Service Scotland, who can set the rent up or down.
The Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 layers rent-control powers on top: ministers can designate rent control areas where increases are capped, so the notice you serve needs to be checked against the property's location as well as the calendar. The LetSafe Rent Increase Notice (Scotland) pack (LS-S-010) carries the current notice, the interval and window checks, and the referral pathway, for £19 with free re-issue when the rules move.
The statutory procedure, step by step
For a PRT rent increase to be effective you must be able to show each of these:
- The notice is in the prescribed form with the proposed new rent and effective date
- At least three months' notice between service and the effective date
- No rent increase has taken effect in the previous 12 months
- The notice tells the tenant of their right to refer the rent to a Rent Officer within 21 days
- Service is recorded so you can prove the date the clock started
What Rent Service Scotland can do
If the tenant refers the notice, a Rent Officer determines the open-market rent, which can be lower than the figure you proposed, and in a rent control area the determination is subject to the cap. Either party can then appeal to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber).
In practice a defensible increase is one supported by comparable local lets. The pack includes a comparables worksheet so the figure you serve is the figure you can defend.
Rent control areas under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025
The Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 gives Scottish Ministers the power to designate rent control areas following local authority assessments, capping in-tenancy increases within a designated area. Whether a cap applies to your notice depends on where the property is and the regulations in force on the date the increase would take effect.
The pack's pre-service checklist includes the rent-control check, and we re-issue the pack when designations or caps change, so the version you download stays aligned with the current rules.
What's in the pack
- Rent increase notice template (editable DOCX + typeset PDF)
- Pre-service checklist: interval, window, rent-control area, service proof
- Comparables worksheet for defending the figure on referral
- Completed example with dates worked through
- Free re-issue when the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016 procedure or Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 rent-control rules change
Frequently asked questions
How much notice do I need to give for a rent increase in Scotland?+
At least three months before the new rent takes effect, using the prescribed notice, under the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016. The increase cannot take effect within 12 months of the last one.
How often can rent be increased on a PRT?+
Once in any 12-month period. The 12 months run from the date the last increase took effect, not the date the last notice was served.
Can my tenant challenge the increase?+
Yes. Within 21 days of receiving the notice the tenant can refer it to a Rent Officer at Rent Service Scotland, who determines the rent. In a rent control area the determination is subject to the applicable cap. Either party can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal.
What is a rent control area?+
A geographic designation under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 where in-tenancy rent increases are capped. Designations follow local authority market assessments and are set by regulations, so check the current position for the property's council area before serving.
What happens if I get the notice wrong?+
An invalid notice does not increase the rent. You must re-serve correctly, restarting the three-month clock, and the 12-month interval still counts from the last effective increase, so a defective notice can cost a full rent cycle.
This page is drafted against the legislation below. Always check the current text of the law before acting.
- Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 (legislation.gov.uk)