Rent increase notice

For a month-to-month tenancy, 30 days is the most common rule. Some states ask for more, and some tie it to the size of the increase: California asks for 90 days above 10%, Maine 75 days at 10% or more, Oregon 90 days and Washington 90 days for any increase.

Pick your state above and the letter checks your start date against its rule. On a fixed-term lease, the new rent usually waits until the term ends.

Only in a few places. California, the District of Columbia, Oregon and Washington cap yearly increases for many units, and some cities have their own rent control. Everywhere else the amount is up to the landlord, as long as the increase isn’t retaliatory or discriminatory.

Choose a rent-capped state above and the page shows the cap in full beside the letter.

In writing, the way your lease and state law say notices go: usually by hand or by mail, sometimes by email if the lease allows it. Mailing can add days in some states, so leave a margin.

Keep a copy and note the date and how you delivered it; the letter has a line for that.

Usually not. A fixed-term lease sets the rent until it ends, unless the lease itself allows a change. Send the notice so it lands before the renewal, with the notice your state asks for.

The rent increase calculator shows what the change costs per year and the rate over the months since the last one.