Landlord Wants Higher Rent After Learning I Work From Home – Is This Even Legal?
When I moved into my flat 11 months ago, I was working full time in a local hair salon. In my spare hours I wrote a small blog, just for fun.
The blog unexpectedly took off and within a year it is now making enough money for me to leave the salon and focus on it full time. I can work from anywhere, sometimes from the flat, sometimes from cafés, parks, or even the beach. No clients ever visit the property.
My landlord recently found out about my blog’s success and sent me a string of text messages demanding either higher rent or a percentage of my earnings. I’ve always been a reliable tenant, paid my rent on time, looked after the flat, and never had a single complaint from neighbours.
Here’s how the conversation went:
Landlord: Hi. Heard you quit the salon. The blog’s your job now?
Me: Yeah, it’s been going well
Me: Why?
Landlord: Means you’re running a business from my flat. Rent needs to go up
Me: I’m not running a business from here. I just live here
Me: I write anywhere, cafés, beach, park, wherever I feel like
Me: No clients come here
Landlord: Yes but it still counts. It’s business use. Extra wear and tear
Me: What do you mean, I still just live here
Me: I’ve always paid rent on time. Never had complaints from neighbours.
Me: I look after this place better than most people would
Landlord: Yes true, but you are at home a lot more now. You work from home, you should pay more or give me a cut of your profits
Me: Are you serious or deluded?!!!
Me: Living here doesn’t make me more money
Landlord: Ok I’ll find someone who goes to work every day.
Me: So you’re kicking me out for doing well?
Landlord: I’m saying agree new terms or I’ll serve notice.
I honestly feel like I’m being punished for doing well. I’ve paid my rent on time every single month. I’ve looked after this place better than most owners look after their own homes. Never a single complaint.
And now, because my blog’s taken off, my landlord thinks I should hand over more money, or even a cut of my profits. For what? Just for living here?
What about all my friends who’ve been working from home since Covid? Still on the same salaries, doing the same jobs, barely go into the office. Their landlords aren’t chasing them for more rent.
Is it just because I’m visible online that I’m an easy target?
Is this even legal? Does working from home magically turn your flat into “business use”? And if it does, does that mean every remote worker in the country should be paying more?
Honestly, I’d love to hear what other tenants think, and landlords too. Is this fair game or just greedy?
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Member Since June 2014 - Comments: 1562
8:14 AM, 14th August 2025, About 8 months ago
“Is this fair game or just greedy?”
Neither, it’s a made up scenario that doesn’t happen in real life.
Member Since December 2023 - Comments: 1575
9:14 AM, 14th August 2025, About 8 months ago
If you are working from home, it could affect the terms of any mortgage on the property and would almost certainly affect the insurance.
Your change of employment could also affect your affordability and this could impact any rent guarantee insurance.
If you look at Section C Para 3 of the government’s model AST agreement, it suggests that a landlord should not unreasonably withhold consent for a LOW impact business, providing the property’s primary use remains residential with the business use being secondary.
As for the rent, it can only be raised to market value.
Member Since January 2011 - Comments: 12193 - Articles: 1395
9:29 AM, 14th August 2025, About 8 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Monty Bodkin at 14/08/2025 – 08:14
I can assure you this does happen, a LOT!!!
Social Media landlord and tenant groups are full of similar scenarios.
Member Since July 2013 - Comments: 1996 - Articles: 21
10:06 AM, 14th August 2025, About 8 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Cider Drinker at 14/08/2025 – 09:14Having a blog is a “low impact business”. The OP is not manufacturing or using chemicals or heavy machinery or tools. I cannot see how this “could affect the terms of any mortgage on the property and would almost certainly (emphasis mine) affect the insurance.” Come off it! No sensible insurer will invalidate a policy because the occupier becomes unemployed or works from home in this type of job. In fact the risk of burglary and damage by vandals is arguably reduced!
If this story is true, and Mark Alexander says this scenario is common, this is just the sort of behaviour that riles tenants and politicians and leads to overkill legislation such as the Renters Rights (Increase in Homelessness) Bill.
Member Since February 2018 - Comments: 32
10:26 AM, 14th August 2025, About 8 months ago
There would be no grounds for serving notice under current legislation so ignore him but be prepared for a rent increase in line with the terms of your tenancy agreement.
Member Since January 2020 - Comments: 134
10:34 AM, 14th August 2025, About 8 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Cider Drinker at 14/08/2025 – 09:14
You start’d drinkin’ already?
Member Since October 2022 - Comments: 28
10:39 AM, 14th August 2025, About 8 months ago
You should not be telling your landlord your personal business. But sounds like he’s a friend?
Member Since July 2017 - Comments: 463
10:40 AM, 14th August 2025, About 8 months ago
Big mistake to say it’s going well.
Better to say I’m taking a gamble and if it doesn’t work out then I’m back to the salon.
In life you rarely gain any advantage telling people you are well off. For instance I could tell people that instead of running around in this old Skoda, because its nice to drive and its brown in colour so no-one will steal it. Instead I could go out tomorrow and buy a new top of the range BMW and pay cash. What would be the point of that?
Member Since July 2016 - Comments: 166
10:42 AM, 14th August 2025, About 8 months ago
Unless you love living there I would find somewhere else to live with a more professional landlord. I find the nature of the comments made concerning.
Member Since October 2013 - Comments: 1630 - Articles: 3
11:03 AM, 14th August 2025, About 8 months ago
A landlord can’t demand a rent increase based on your success, and certainly not a cut of your earnings. I worked from home for 10 years, and neither my insurer nor lender ever sought an increase.
When was your last rent increase? He can’t seek another within a year. If what he wants is above market rent, you can challenge it at the FTT, but don’t tell him, and based on this story, he will lose. He is probably threatening a S21 (while he still can), but the RRB is likely to come into force before the year end, so let him demand the rent increase, then drag it out at the FTT and stay put.