Learn How To Write and Mail a Rent Increase Letter

iEditorial Note: These blog posts represent the opinion of DoNotPay’s Writers, but each person’s situation and circumstances vary greatly. As a result, you should make sure to do your own independent research. Because everyone is unique, our self-help tools are never guaranteed to help with any specific situation. DoNotPay is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and is not equivalent to the services of a licensed lawyer. DoNotPay provides a platform for legal information and self-help, and does not offer legal services. Third party news articles mentioned on our website do not necessarily reflect the views of the company, or the current services that we offer.

An In-Depth Guide to Writing and Mailing a Rent Increase Letter

Are you a landlord who needs to raise the price of rent because of inflation, property tax increase, or any other reason? While increasing rent is always tricky, knowing how to write a good rent increase letter can help a lot. If you’re not sure what to include in your letter, how to format it, or when to send it, and get all the answers.

Check out our article to learn how to compose your rent increase notice and find out how to mail the letters to your tenants effortlessly.

When Should You Send Rent Increase Letters to Tenants?

Before you increase the rent, you need to make sure you’re following the rules and regulations of the state you have tenants in.

You should review the law and the original lease agreement to find answers to the following questions:

Questions Brief Explanation
How frequently are you allowed to increase the rent?Landlords tend to raise their rent prices once a year
Can you increase the rent during the term of the lease, or do you have to wait until the end of the lease?Landlords who have long-term tenants typically have to wait until the lease expires before increasing the rent unless the lease agreement says otherwise. When it comes to month-to-month lease agreements, landlords have the right to raise their rent at the beginning of each month
When should you notify the tentens?In most states, landlords are obligated to inform tenants about rent increase at least 30 days in advance
What is the maximum limit for a rent increase?Most states don’t impose a limit unless the unit is rent-controlled. The rent increase limit for rent-stabilized units is different in every state

Should You Write a Friendly Rent Increase Letter?

Two main goals of the rent increase letter are:

  1. Informing the tenant about the change in price
  2. Documenting that change

Writing this type of notice is challenging because you need to compose a letter that’s short and formal but also polite and friendly. Tenants certainly won’t be happy about the price increase, which is why they should at least feel appreciated. Make sure to show empathy through your letter without making it too long.

You should start your letter by addressing the tenants by their name instead of writing just “Dear tenant.” In the first paragraph, try to let the recipients know that you value them as tenants and explain why you need to increase the price of rent.

The way you end the letter is also important. Common formal closings—such as Yours truly, Kind regards, and similar—can be rather cold and impersonal. Instead of signing off with one of those closings, you should write something like this:

  • Sincerely
  • Thank you
  • All the best

What Info Should Your Notice of Rent Increase Letter Include?

While your letter should be short and straight to the point, you still need to make sure to include all the relevant info, such as:

  1. Tenant’s name
  2. Date of writing the letter
  3. Property address
  4. Your name and contact info
  5. Date the price increase will take effect
  6. Current cost of the rent
  7. Future cost of the rent
  8. Your signature

You can even include a form at the bottom of the letter that a tenant can fill out and return. For example, you can include these two options:

  1. I agree with the rent increase
  2. I don’t agree with the rent increase and will move out by X date

There are numerous rent increase letter templates online that you can use if you’re not sure how to structure your letter.

How To Send the Rent Increase Letter

Once you compose the rent increase letter, you can either hand-deliver it or send it by snail mail. If you choose the second option, you need to know how to address your letter the right way.

In the upper left corner on the front of the envelope, you should write the return address like this:

  • First line—name
  • Second line—street address
  • Third line—city, state, and ZIP code

You should write the tenant’s address in the middle of the envelope and place the stamps in the upper right corner.

Is sending the letter by mail your only option, but you’d like to skip the trip to the post office? DoNotPay has the most convenient solution!

Don’t Want To Waste Time Going to the Post Office? DoNotPay Is Here To Help!

DoNotPay’s Send Mail feature can help you send your rent increase letter to the tenant without having to leave your home! With us, you can finish the entire process online and let us handle the addressing and mailing.

You don’t even have to worry about how many stamps to purchase or how much money to bring to pay for mailing services. Your only job is to pay a small monthly fee, upload your letter, and respond to our questions. DoNotPay will handle all other issues on your behalf.

Send your letter to the tenant hassle-free by following these simple steps:

  1. Open the Send Mail product
  2. Type in the tenant’s name and address
  3. Upload your letter

Get Rid of the Paperwork With DoNotPay

DoNotPay can help you send mail faster, but what else can you do with our app?

This digital assistant helps you manage all kinds of bureaucratic issues without ever leaving your couch.

Our app helps you:

Money-Saving 101 With DoNotPay

Writing documents and solving various administrative issues is not the only help DoNotPay provides.

Our award-winning app is the ultimate money-saving tool! Check out some of DoNotPay’s useful tools:

Tool:

Description:

Virtual Credit CardSign up for any free trial without any risk of being charged when the trial period ends.

Our virtual credit card is not connected to your bank account, which means that there is the company cannot charge you for a full subscription

Connect With an InmateOur app helps you locate your friends or family members in prison, but we can do more than that.

You can send and receive letters from your incarcerated loved ones using only your phone or laptop

File a ChargebackGet your money back from any company in a few clicks. Our app helps you bypass the company refusing to issue a refund and requests a chargeback directly from your bank
Missing MoneyDo you know that you may have hundreds of dollars in unclaimed money to your name without even knowing it?

There are almost 60 billion dollars in the U.S. that are considered unclaimed, and some of that cash can be yours!

Find and claim your lost property with our app

College Fee WaiverGet college application fees waived in a few clicks.

Applying to any school comes with a lot of expenses, and if you’re planning to apply for more than one college, the amount can go up to a few hundred dollars. Requesting fee waivers is easy with DoNotPay

Want your issue solved now?