Free Vermont Rent Increase Notice

▶ Watch overview

Vermont has no rent control and no cap on how much you can raise the rent, but it does set a real rent-increase notice statute: 9 V.S.A. §4455(b) requires at least 60 days’ actual notice, and the new rent can only begin on the first day of a rental period after those 60 days run. You cannot raise rent mid-lease on a fixed term unless the lease allows it, and the increase cannot be retaliatory (9 V.S.A. §4465). Burlington requires 90 days. Generate a clean notice below.

60-day actual notice (90 in Burlington) 9 V.S.A. 4455(b) / 4465 Vermont Free PDF

This Vermont Rent Increase Notice raises the rent on a residential tenancy. Vermont sets no rent control and no cap on the amount, but unlike many states it has a specific rent-increase statute: under 9 V.S.A. §4455(b) an increase takes effect on the first day of the rental period following no less than 60 days’ actual notice to the tenant. The notice must be written and actually reach the tenant, an increase cannot take effect mid-term on a fixed lease, and it may not be retaliatory under 9 V.S.A. §4465. Burlington requires 90 days’ notice. Our how to raise rent guide covers the timing, and the tenant screening laws by state hub helps you place reliable tenants in the first place.

Complete the fields below to generate a Vermont rent increase notice. The new rent and effective date must give the tenant the full statutory notice period. Service should comply with applicable Vermont law; retain proof of service.

A Vermont rent increase notice is the written notice a landlord gives to raise the rent on a residential tenancy. Vermont is a market-rate state: there is no statewide rent control and no statutory cap on how much the rent can go up, so a landlord may raise the rent by any amount. What Vermont law regulates is not the amount but the timing of the increase and the motive behind it. Bills to cap increases have been floated in the Legislature over the years, but none has been enacted into a statewide cap, and a 2026 bill (H.772) that would have limited increases to once a year failed in the Senate, so there is no statewide once-a-year or percentage cap in force.

Where Vermont differs from many states is that it has a specific rent-increase statute rather than treating the increase as a generic change of terms. Under 9 V.S.A. §4455(b), part of the Residential Rental Agreements Act (9 V.S.A. chapter 137), an increase in rent takes effect on the first day of the rental period following no less than 60 days’ actual notice to the tenant. Two things matter in that sentence. First, the notice period is at least 60 days, and it is measured by actual notice – the tenant has to actually receive the written notice, so the clock starts when it reaches the tenant, not when the landlord drops it in the mail. Second, the increase cannot take effect on just any day: it has to begin on the first day of a rental period that starts after those 60 days have run. For a month-to-month tenancy, that means a landlord who wants a higher rent has to give written notice, wait the full 60 days from the tenant’s receipt, and then apply the new rent at the start of the next rental period after the 60 days close.

A fixed-term lease is treated differently. While a lease runs for a set term, the rent agreed in that lease is locked: a landlord cannot raise it in the middle of the term unless the lease itself contains a clause allowing a mid-term increase. Any increase otherwise waits until the term ends and the tenancy renews, and even then the 60 days’ actual notice under 9 V.S.A. §4455(b) applies before the higher rent can take effect. So the practical rule for fixed-term tenants is that the rent does not change until renewal, with proper notice.

Even with correct timing, an increase can be unlawful because of its motive. 9 V.S.A. §4465 prohibits a landlord from retaliating against a tenant by establishing or changing the terms of a rental agreement – which includes raising the rent – or by bringing or threatening an action against the tenant, after the tenant has complained to a governmental agency charged with enforcing a building, housing, or health regulation, complained to the landlord of a violation of the chapter, or organized or joined a tenant’s union or similar organization. The statute also creates a rebuttable presumption of retaliation when a landlord serves a termination notice, on grounds other than nonpayment of rent, within 90 days after a municipal or State governmental entity notifies the landlord that the premises are not in compliance with health or safety regulations. A tenant who proves retaliation may recover damages and attorney’s fees. Federal and Vermont fair housing law independently bar an increase aimed at a tenant because of a protected characteristic.

Because 9 V.S.A. §4455(b) requires actual notice, the practical standard for serving a Vermont rent-increase notice is provable written delivery that the tenant receives within the notice period – and the notice must be in writing, so a verbal increase does not count. Vermont Legal Aid summarizes it plainly: the notice must be written and must be hand-delivered or mailed. Personal delivery to the tenant, delivery left at the premises when the tenant is absent, certified mail with a return receipt, or first-class mail all work, as long as you allow enough time for the tenant to receive it within the 60 days; email or text is fine only when the lease or tenant authorizes electronic notice and you document it. Whatever the method, the notice should state the current rent, the new rent, and the effective date, and the landlord should keep a signed, dated copy with proof of delivery. Our how to raise rent guide walks through the timing, and screening applicants with verified reports keeps tenancies stable so the increases you serve actually stick.

One local rule is worth flagging: the City of Burlington requires landlords to give at least 90 days’ written notice of a rent increase, rather than the 60 days the state requires, so a Burlington landlord must plan for the longer period. Burlington voters have also approved a charter change to allow rent stabilization tied to inflation, but that rent-control measure requires approval from the Vermont Legislature and has not been enacted into enforceable rent control – so outside the 90-day notice rule, Burlington rents are not currently capped. Put together, a clean Vermont increase is straightforward but exact: confirm the tenancy is month-to-month or at renewal, give at least 60 days’ actual written notice (90 days in Burlington, or longer if the lease says so), start the new rent on the first day of a rental period after the 60 days, keep the timing and motive outside the 9 V.S.A. §4465 retaliation bar, and keep proof the tenant received the notice. None of this replaces the screening you do at move-in – a tenant chosen for steady income and a clean payment history is the one most likely to absorb a lawful increase without a dispute.

• No statewide cap on the amount of a rent increase, and no statewide rent control – landlords may raise rent by any amount.
• 60 days’ actual notice required by 9 V.S.A. §4455(b) — the increase takes effect on the first day of the rental period following at least 60 days’ actual notice to the tenant.
• Actual, written notice — the notice must be written and actually reach the tenant (hand-delivered or mailed); a verbal increase does not satisfy it.
• No mid-term increase on a fixed-term lease unless the lease expressly allows it; the increase applies at renewal.
• No retaliatory increase after a protected tenant action (9 V.S.A. §4465), which also creates a 90-day rebuttable presumption tied to a government health or safety notice.
• No discriminatory increase based on a protected class (federal Fair Housing Act and the Vermont Fair Housing and Public Accommodations Act).
• Burlington requires at least 90 days’ notice, more than the state’s 60.

• 9 V.S.A. §4455(b) requires actual notice — the written notice must actually reach the tenant; verbal notice does not satisfy it.
• Personal (hand) delivery to the tenant, or delivery left at the rental premises if the tenant is absent.
• Certified mail with a return receipt, or U.S. first-class mail, gives a dated paper trail; allow added days so the tenant receives it within the 60-day period.
• Email or text works only if the lease or tenant authorizes electronic notice and you document it; keep the send record either way.

• Giving less than 60 days’ actual notice, or counting the 60 days from when you sent the notice instead of when the tenant received it (9 V.S.A. §4455(b)).
• Starting the new rent before the first day of a rental period that begins after the 60 days run.
• Raising the rent mid-term on a fixed-term lease that does not allow it.
• Giving only 60 days for a Burlington rental, where the city requires 90.
• Raising the rent right after a tenant’s code complaint or tenants’-union activity — 9 V.S.A. §4465 treats that as retaliation.
• Relying on a verbal notice with no written record or proof that the tenant received it.

• Read the lease first — a notice period or escalation clause there controls, and may require longer than 60 days.
• Give written notice at least 60 days before the increase takes effect (90 days in Burlington), counted from when the tenant receives it.
• State the current rent, the new rent, and the effective date plainly on the notice, and set that date to the first day of a rental period after the 60 days.
• Deliver by a method you can prove the tenant received, and if the increase follows a tenant complaint, be ready to show it is not retaliatory.

Published by Tenant Screening Background Check

Established 2004 · 20+ Years · All U.S. States & Territories · Statute-Based · Attorney-Reviewed

A Private Eye Reports™ service trusted by landlords, property managers, and attorneys.