Rent Below Market? How to Increase After a Long Tenancy

If you haven’t reviewed rent for several years, it may have fallen significantly below market rate. You’re not stuck — but there are rules about how quickly and how much you can increase, especially in RPZs.

In a Rent Pressure Zone

You can only increase by the lower of 2% or HICP per year, regardless of how far below market rate you are. There is no “catch-up” provision. If your rent is €1,200/month and market rate is €1,800, you cannot jump to market rate — you can increase by ~€24/month per year. It would take over 20 years to reach market rate at 2%/year.

Outside a Rent Pressure Zone

You can increase to market rate, but must provide 90 days’ notice, can only review every 12 months (or 24 months for newer tenancies), and the new rent must not exceed market rate for comparable properties. Use our Rent Review Calculator to determine the appropriate increase.

New Tenancy Exception

If a tenancy ends and you re-let to a new tenant, you can set a new market rent (even in an RPZ). However, the new rent will then be subject to RPZ caps going forward. Note: ending a tenancy solely to re-let at a higher rent is not permitted under RTB rules.