Rent Increases in WA: Form 10, 60 Days’ Notice & the 12-Month Rule
Increasing rent in Western Australia? Learn the 2026 rules for Form 10, 60 days’ notice, fixed and periodic leases, renewals and the 12-month limit.
Increasing the rent on a Western Australian rental property is not simply a matter of deciding what the property is worth in the current market and telling the tenant the new amount.
There are rules governing when the rent can increase, how much notice must be given and, in most cases, which form must be used.
For most residential tenancies in WA, three numbers are particularly important:
12 months. 60 days. Form 10.
Get one of those wrong and the tenant may not be required to pay the increased rent.
This guide explains the current WA rent increase rules for private landlords and tenants, including periodic tenancies, fixed-term agreements and lease renewals.
Important: This article provides general information about residential tenancies in Western Australia and is not legal advice. Tenancy circumstances can differ, so check the current requirements with WA Consumer Protection before acting.
How often can rent be increased in WA?
For most WA residential tenancies, rent can now be increased no more than once every 12 months.
This applies to periodic tenancies and also affects successive fixed-term agreements where the tenancy continues with the same tenant, or at least one of the existing co-tenants.
That last point is important.
Signing a new six-month lease does not automatically give a landlord another opportunity to increase the rent.
WA Consumer Protection treats successive agreements with at least one continuing tenant as a continuous tenancy for the purpose of the 12-month rent-increase rule.
Example
Suppose a tenant’s rent increased from $650 to $700 per week on 1 November 2025.
Their six-month lease subsequently expires and both parties agree to another fixed-term lease beginning in May 2026.
The landlord cannot simply increase the rent again because a new lease is being signed.
There must still be at least 12 months between rent increases.
The earliest another increase could take effect would therefore generally be 1 November 2026, assuming all of the other requirements are satisfied.
How much notice must a landlord give?
A tenant must generally receive at least 60 days’ notice before the increased rent takes effect.
For an ordinary residential tenancy where rent is not calculated according to the tenant’s income, the landlord or property manager should use the prescribed:
Form 10 — Notice to Tenant of Rent Increase.
The notice specifies the property, current/new rental arrangements, the amount of the increase and when the increased rent becomes payable.
The 60-day notice period and the 12-month restriction work together.
Giving 60 days’ notice does not mean the increase can take effect before the 12-month anniversary of the previous increase.
Likewise, reaching the 12-month anniversary does not remove the requirement to give the appropriate notice.
When can you actually issue Form 10?
This is where landlords sometimes become confused.
You don’t necessarily have to wait until the full 12 months have elapsed before giving the notice.
The critical issue is when the new rent takes effect.
WA Consumer Protection gives an example of rent last increased on 30 May 2025. A landlord wanting the next increase to commence on 30 May 2026 could give the required 60-day notice from 31 March 2026.
If instead the landlord waited until 30 May 2026 to issue the notice, the increase could not commence until 60 days later.
That distinction makes forward planning useful.
A simple landlord rent-review calendar should therefore record:
- the date the tenancy commenced;
- the date the last rent increase took effect;
- the earliest date the next increase may take effect; and
- the date by which Form 10 needs to be served if the landlord wants the increase to commence on that earliest date.
The effective date of the previous increase is much more useful than relying on memory or simply looking at when the current lease expires.
Periodic tenancy rent increases
A periodic tenancy has no fixed end date.
For a periodic residential tenancy in WA, a rent increase can generally occur only when:
- at least 12 months have passed since the tenancy commenced or the previous rent increase;
- the tenant receives at least 60 days’ notice;
- the required notice is given in writing; and
- the appropriate rent increase form is used.
For ordinary residential rent, that will normally be Form 10.
If the required notice is not provided correctly, WA Consumer Protection states that the tenant is not required to pay the increased amount.
Fixed-term tenancy rent increases
Fixed-term leases require an additional check.
A landlord cannot simply introduce a rent increase halfway through a fixed-term agreement because 12 months have passed.
For a rent increase to occur during the fixed term, the tenancy agreement must specify either:
- the amount of the increase; or
- a clear method for calculating the increase.
Examples may include a specified percentage, a fixed dollar amount or a calculation linked to CPI.
The current WA landlord guide specifically warns that simply stating “market rent” is not an adequate calculation method because it does not give a sufficiently clear indication of what the increase is likely to be.
Even where the lease contains a valid rent-increase mechanism, the landlord must still comply with the applicable 12-month restriction and provide at least 60 days’ notice using Form 10.
What happens when a fixed-term lease is renewed?
Lease renewal is an area where it is particularly easy to make an incorrect assumption.
Imagine a landlord uses six-month fixed-term agreements.
It might seem logical that the rent can be renegotiated every time a new six-month agreement is signed.
That is no longer how the WA rent-increase rules operate.
Where the tenancy continues with the same tenant — or at least one existing co-tenant remains — successive agreements are treated as continuous for the rent-increase timing rules.
There must still be at least 12 months since the previous rent increase.
For self-managing landlords, the safest approach is therefore to track the rent increase history of the tenancy, rather than treating each lease document as a completely new starting point.
Is there a maximum percentage rent increase in WA?
WA’s residential tenancy rules do not establish a simple statewide percentage cap such as “rent may only increase by 5%”.
That does not mean any increase is automatically beyond challenge.
A tenant who considers a proposed rent excessive can apply to the Magistrates Court.
Factors that may be considered include comparable rents for similar properties in the area, the property’s estimated value and condition, upkeep costs, services supplied by the landlord, contents supplied with the property and other relevant circumstances.
A rent increase also should not be used as a retaliatory mechanism to pressure a tenant for exercising their lawful tenancy rights. WA’s current landlord guidance expressly warns against proposing excessive increases as a means of getting rid of a tenant.
For landlords, this provides a practical reason to retain evidence supporting a substantial increase.
Useful records might include comparable rental listings, recent leasing evidence, the property’s condition and any material differences between your property and the properties being used as comparisons.
Can a tenant challenge a rent increase?
Yes.
A tenant who believes a rent increase is excessive can seek review through the Magistrates Court.
WA Consumer Protection’s current tenant guidance says an application for review should be made within 30 days of receiving the rent increase notice.
Before matters reach that stage, landlord and tenant can of course discuss the proposed increase.
A commercially sensible landlord may want to consider more than the highest advertised rent visible online.
For example, replacing a reliable tenant can involve vacancy, advertising, inspections, screening, lease preparation and uncertainty about the next tenant.
Sometimes an increase slightly below the theoretical maximum market rent produces the better overall investment result.
That is a commercial decision rather than a tenancy-law requirement, but it is worth considering.
Do you need Form 10?
For most ordinary residential rent increases in WA, yes.
WA Consumer Protection lists Form 10 as a mandatory form for a standard residential rent increase where rent is not calculated according to the tenant’s income.
Do not create your own shortened version of the notice.
Consumer Protection warns that prescribed forms should not be altered by deleting or changing their required content, and its forms page identifies rent-increase notices as mandatory forms.
Use the current official form.
Download the official WA Form 10 – Notice to Tenant of Rent Increase
A practical rent-increase checklist for WA landlords
Before sending a rent increase notice, check the following.
1. Find the last effective rent-increase date.
Don’t rely solely on the lease commencement or renewal date.
2. Confirm 12 months will have elapsed.
The proposed new rent should not take effect inside the prohibited 12-month period.
3. Check whether the tenancy is periodic or fixed term.
If it is fixed term and the increase will occur during that term, check that the agreement contains a valid rent-increase provision specifying the amount or calculation method.
4. Decide the new rent.
Keep reasonable market evidence, particularly where the increase is substantial.
5. Calculate the effective date.
Allow at least 60 days’ notice and make sure the effective date also complies with the 12-month restriction.
6. Use the current Form 10.
Don’t rely on an old saved copy when the current official form is readily available.
7. Complete the notice carefully.
Check names, property address, increase amount, new total rent and relevant dates.
8. Serve the notice correctly.
Keep evidence showing what was served, when and how.
9. Update your rent records.
Record both the notice date and the effective date of the new rent so the next review is easy to calculate.
Common rent-increase mistakes
Several mistakes are particularly easy for self-managing landlords to make.
One is assuming that a new lease automatically resets the rent and allows another increase.
Another is counting 12 months from the date Form 10 was sent rather than checking the relevant effective date.
A third is giving a tenant 60 days’ notice but choosing an effective date that still falls inside the 12-month restriction.
Fixed-term landlords can also run into trouble when the lease merely says the rent can be increased to “market rent”, rather than specifying an amount or a sufficiently clear calculation method.
Finally, using an old template email instead of the required Form 10 can turn an otherwise reasonable rent review into a defective notice.
A small amount of record keeping prevents most of these problems.
Rent increases are a process, not just a price decision
The rental market tells a landlord what the property might rent for.
The tenancy rules determine when and how the rent can lawfully change.
For WA landlords, a simple process works well:
check the previous increase → confirm the tenancy type → calculate the earliest lawful date → give at least 60 days’ notice → use Form 10 → retain evidence of service.
For tenants, the same information provides a straightforward way to check a rent increase notice before assuming the new amount is automatically payable.
When in doubt, use the current information and forms published by WA Consumer Protection rather than relying on an old lease template, an online forum or what happened during a previous tenancy.
Check the current WA Consumer Protection rent increase guidance.
Managing your own WA rental? Explore LandlordLogic’s practical guides, checklists and tools for self-managing landlords.