Calculator · landlords and renters

Rent increase calculator

Type the current rent and the increase, as a percent or as the new rent. You get the other one, the cost per year, and the math.

A minus sign for a decrease.

Type either one; the other follows.

12 for a yearly renewal. Used for the annualized rate.

Optional. Shows how much notice your state asks for under the result.

Lease

Rent increase

+5.0%

$1,500 → $1,575 a month: $75 more a month, $900 more a year.

New rent
$1,575
Per month
+$75.00
Per year
+$900.00
Annualized, 12 mo
+5.0%

Month-to-month: the new rent can start once written notice has run. How much notice depends on your state, and in some states on the size of the increase.

Choose your state above to see how much notice it asks for before a month-to-month increase.

Notice rules and caps vary by state and city. Not legal advice.

The math

How it’s calculated

Your numbers, step by step. The new rent is rounded to the cent once; the side you typed is never rounded.

  1. New rent $1,500 × (1 + 5%) = $1,500 × 1.05 = $1,575.00
  2. Change $1,575.00 − $1,500.00 = +$75.00 a month × 12 = +$900.00 a year
  3. Annualized 12 months since the last change, so the yearly rate is the change itself: +5.0%
Common increases

What 3, 5, 7 and 10% look like

On $1,500 a month.

New rent and added cost at common increases
Increase New rent Per month Per year
+3.0% $1,545+$45.00+$540.00
+5.0% $1,575+$75.00+$900.00
+7.0% $1,605+$105.00+$1,260.00
+10.0% $1,650+$150.00+$1,800.00
FAQ

Questions people ask

How much can a landlord raise the rent?

In most of the US there is no cap. Outside rent-controlled units, a landlord can raise the rent by any amount, as long as the increase isn’t discriminatory or retaliatory and the right notice is given. A fixed-term lease usually locks the rent until it ends.

A few states cap yearly increases for many buildings: California at 5% plus inflation, and Oregon and Washington at 7% plus inflation, each up to 10%. On $1,500 rent, a 5% increase is $75 a month, or $900 a year.

How much notice does a landlord have to give?

It depends on the state, and on the lease. For a month-to-month tenancy, 30 days’ written notice is the most common rule; some states ask for more, and some tie the notice to the size of the increase, such as California’s 90 days for increases over 10%.

For a fixed-term lease, the new rent normally starts when the term ends or renews, and the notice comes with the renewal offer. This is general information, not legal advice for your state.

Which states have rent control?

Oregon, California and Washington cap yearly increases statewide for many units. Rent control or rent stabilization also exists in some cities, including New York City, Washington DC, and cities in New Jersey, Maryland and Minnesota.

Many states, including Texas and Florida, bar cities from adopting rent control at all. Where it does apply, it usually covers older buildings and leaves new construction out.

Can rent go up in the middle of a lease?

Usually not. A fixed-term lease sets the rent for the whole term, so an increase waits until the term ends, unless the lease itself says the rent can change, as some longer leases do with a set yearly step.

Month-to-month rent can change at any time with proper notice, subject to state and local rules.

How should a rent increase notice be worded?

Keep it plain: the current rent, the new rent, the date it starts, the address, and the date of the notice, signed and delivered the way your lease or state law requires. Put it in writing even where a verbal notice might count.

Leave a few days beyond the minimum notice period for delivery, especially by mail. The rent increase notice letter on this site fills these in and prints them.