Your tenant doesn't need to sign a new mandate. Once the new rent has been agreed or set through the proper process, you change the amount you collect and give the tenant advance notice of the new amount and date: 10 working days plus postal time by default under Bacs rules, or the shorter period agreed when the direct debit was set up. The same mandate then keeps collecting at the new figure.
In this article
The short version
- Tenants don't need to sign a new mandate when the rent goes up.
- Change the amount and give advance notice: 10 working days by default, or the shorter period agreed at set-up.
- Settle the new rent through the proper legal process before you change the collection.
- Standing orders only change if the tenant edits them, so check the first payment after a review.
- In Adfin, each collection follows the amount on the invoice, under the same mandate.
Why the tenant keeps the same mandate
When your tenant signed their direct debit mandate, they gave you permission to collect from their account. They didn't agree to one fixed amount, so a rent increase doesn't cancel the mandate and you don't need a fresh signature.
You do owe them notice, though. The Direct Debit Guarantee promises your tenant they'll be told in advance about any change to the amount, date or frequency of their direct debit, normally 10 working days, or as otherwise agreed. Bacs sets the same default of 10 working days plus postal time where you haven't agreed anything else.
Many providers agree a shorter notice period with your tenant when the direct debit's set up, and that agreed period then applies to every collection, including the first one at the new rent. If you collect the new figure without the notice your tenant's owed, they can ask their bank for a full and immediate refund under the Guarantee.
Settle the new rent before you change the collection
Your direct debit only collects the rent. Whether you can put the rent up, and by how much, is a separate legal question for the tenancy or lease.
For assured periodic tenancies in England, government guidance says you can raise the rent once a year, not in the first year, using the section 13 process with Form 4A served at least two months before the new rent starts. Commercial leases usually follow the rent review clause in the lease. If a commercial rent review is settled late and the new rent is backdated, you can collect the balance separately, either as a one-off collection you've given notice of or through a payment link.
It's safest to change the collection only once the new rent is settled. If a residential tenant challenges the increase, check which figure applies before you change anything, and take advice if you're unsure.
A checklist for each rent review
You can run every rent review from the same short list:
- Record the date the new rent starts on the tenancy or lease file.
- Serve the rent increase notice, or confirm the agreed figure under the lease, in good time.
- When you serve the notice, tell your tenant separately that their direct debit will change to the new amount from that date, and that they don't need to do anything.
- Update the amount on the first collection at the new rent, before the notice period for that collection begins.
- Check that your tenant's advance notice for that collection shows the new figure and date.
- After the first collection at the new rent, look over your arrears report for anyone still paying the old amount by another method.
In Adfin, each direct debit collection uses the amount and due date of the invoice it belongs to, so once you've changed the rent on the invoice, the collection follows it under the same mandate. Adfin's advance notice email reaches your tenant at least three working days before each collection with the new amount and date, so step five takes care of itself.
What changes for standing orders and service charges
Standing orders work differently. Your tenant sets one up with their own bank, for a fixed amount, and only they can change it. After a rent review, you'll get the new rent only if your tenant remembers to edit their standing order. When they don't, a small shortfall can build every month until someone spots the arrears. If you've got tenants paying this way, send them a clear written reminder of the new amount and the date to change it from, and check their first payment after the increase.
Service charges move in a similar way. When you set the budget for a new service charge year, each leaseholder's payment changes, sometimes up and sometimes down. On direct debit it's the same process as a rent increase: you update the amount and give notice. On a standing order, you're relying on every leaseholder changing their payment again.
If a tenant or leaseholder is short after a change, Adfin's collection agents can chase the balance within rules you approve, and send a payment link so they can pay the difference by card or pay by bank.
Common questions
Does a tenant need to sign a new direct debit when the rent goes up? No. The existing mandate covers the new amount, as long as the tenant gets advance notice of the new amount and date before it's collected.
How much notice do I need to give for a change to a direct debit amount? Ten working days plus postal time by default, or the shorter period your tenant agreed to when the direct debit was set up. With Adfin, tenants hear at least three working days before each collection.
Is the direct debit notice the same as the rent increase notice? No. The rent increase follows its own legal process, such as a section 13 notice for assured periodic tenancies in England, and the direct debit notice only tells the tenant what will be collected and when.
Can a tenant cancel their direct debit after a rent increase? Yes, a tenant can cancel a direct debit at any time through their bank. Cancelling doesn't change what they owe under the tenancy, so contact them and agree another way to pay.
What happens if I collect the new rent before the tenant has notice? The tenant can ask their bank for an immediate refund under the Direct Debit Guarantee. You'd then need to give proper notice and collect again.
Does the same apply to service charges? Yes. When a new service charge budget changes what each leaseholder pays, the amount on their direct debit changes with advance notice, under the same mandate.
Sources
- GOV.UK - Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for landlords: Rent increases (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.gov.uk/assured-tenancy-agreements-a-guide-for-landlords/rent-increases
- Bacs - FAQs (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.bacs.co.uk/resources/faqs/
- Direct Debit - The Direct Debit Guarantee (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.directdebit.co.uk/direct-debit-explained/direct-debit-guarantee/
- MoneyHelper - Direct Debits and standing orders (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/everyday-money/banking/direct-debits-and-standing-orders
- Adfin Help Centre - What does my customer see when I use direct debit? (accurate as of November 2026) https://support.adfin.com/en/articles/10199778-what-does-my-customer-see-when-i-use-direct-debit
