Can the landlord raise the rent in the middle of the contract?

Under the 2026 law, this is not provided for: article 13 says the agreed rent remains in place for the entire term of the contract. The adjustment can only be agreed by mutual agreement on extension or renewal.

How much can a rent agreed in dollars go up?

The 2026 law sets no cap for rent in foreign currency; the BCV index limit applies only to rent in bolívares. Like any rent, it does not change during the contract and the adjustment is agreed between both parties on extension or renewal.

What happens if the tenant does not accept the increase?

The law does not say, and it sets no default increase. If, on expiry, neither party states its wish to end it, the contract continues on the same terms (article 11), and only a tribunal de municipio or a tribunal arbitral can order an eviction (article 27).

Where can I check the BCV price index?

On the BCV's consumer price statistics page, which publishes the Índice Nacional de Precios al Consumidor with downloadable monthly tables. As of October 27, 2026, the monthly table ran through September 2026.

Can I pay in bolívares a rent agreed in dollars?

Yes, if the landlord agrees: article 14 requires mutual agreement and uses the exchange rate published by the BCV for the payment date.

My contract is from before August 2026. Is it adjusted with the BCV index?

No. Contracts agreed before August 7, 2026, and homes the tenant already occupied on that date, remain under the 2011 law, where SUNAVI sets and reviews the rent (articles 66 and 83). Renewing with the same tenant does not change that by itself; consult a lawyer.

Rent increases under Venezuela's 2026 law

Since August 7, 2026 two housing-lease regimes have coexisted, and the answer depends on which one governs your contract. For a specific case, consult a lawyer.

First: which law governs your contract

The Ley del Régimen Especial de Arrendamiento de Inmuebles Destinados a Vivienda (Special Regime Law for Residential Leases) was published in Gaceta Oficial No. 7.065 Extraordinario of August 7, 2026 and took effect on publication (Disposición Final Única, its sole final provision). Under its article 2:

It applies only to housing leases agreed or formalized after it took effect.

It excludes homes the tenant already occupied under a lease on that date, "mientras persista esa posesión" (for as long as that possession continues). Those contracts are still governed by the Ley para la Regularización y Control de los Arrendamientos de Vivienda (Law for the Regularization and Control of Housing Leases, 2011) and by the 2011 anti-eviction decree.

Renewing the contract, or signing a new one, with a tenant who already occupied the home before August 7, 2026 does not by itself move it to the 2026 law. That law does not expressly say what happens when those contracts are renewed (its article 13 mentions "prórroga o renovación" (extension or renewal) only for the rent adjustment): consult a lawyer.

2026 law: the rent does not go up during the contract

The parties agree on the amount of the rent, "sin más limitaciones que las establecidas en esta Ley" (with no limitations other than those set in this Law) (article 12). The limitation is in article 13, which contains three rules:

During the contract, the rent does not change. The agreed rent "se mantendrá durante toda la vigencia del contrato" (will remain in place for the entire term of the contract).

The adjustment is agreed only on extension or renewal, and by mutual agreement. "En caso de prórroga o renovación, las partes podrán de mutuo acuerdo estipular un ajuste de canon de arrendamiento" (in the event of extension or renewal, the parties may by mutual agreement stipulate an adjustment of the rent). The law does not give the landlord the power to impose it alone.

If the rent is in bolívares, there is a cap. The percentage of the adjustment "no podrá ser superior a la variación del índice de precios al consumidor publicada por el Banco Central de Venezuela, en el período de vigencia del contrato" (may not exceed the change in the consumer price index published by the Banco Central de Venezuela, the central bank, over the term of the contract).

The law does not provide for automatic or mid-contract increases, and the clauses apply "siempre que no contradigan" (provided they do not contradict) the law (article 6). If your contract includes increases during its term, consult a lawyer.

The contract must be in writing and state the rent and the method of payment (article 8), so it is advisable to put the adjustment in writing with the new amount. See whether the contract has to be notarized.

Rent in dollars or another currency

Article 14 allows a rent set "en moneda distinta al bolívar" (in a currency other than the bolívar). In that case, the tenant, "en mutuo acuerdo" (by mutual agreement) with the landlord, can pay the equivalent in bolívares at the exchange rate published by the BCV (the central bank) for the payment date. Unless otherwise agreed, the rent is paid monthly.

For rent in foreign currency, article 13 sets no cap at all: the BCV index limit refers only to rent "establecido en bolívares" (set in bolívares). The first two rules do apply to all rent, in any currency: it does not change during the contract and the adjustment is agreed between both parties on extension or renewal. The analysis by the NGO Acceso a la Justicia agrees: the law does not say how to adjust a rent in foreign currency.

If a rent in foreign currency is paid in bolívares, the equivalent of each payment varies with the BCV rate of the day, even if the rent in foreign currency stays the same.

If the parties do not agree on the increase

The law does not say what happens if there is no agreement on the adjustment: it does not set a default increase or task any body with determining it. What it does establish:

If no one asks to end it, the contract continues unchanged. Once the term expires, if neither party states its wish to end it, the contract "continuará en los mismos términos en que fue contraído" (will continue on the same terms on which it was entered into) (article 11). If no duration was agreed, it is deemed agreed for one year.

Expiry of the term ends the contract (article 22, numeral 1). The tenant, in addition, can end it at any time; compensation of up to two months' rent can be agreed (article 24).

Disagreements go to conciliation, mediation or other alternative means, to arbitration, or to the tribunales de municipio (municipal courts) through the juicio breve (short proceeding) of the Código de Procedimiento Civil (Code of Civil Procedure) (article 25).

Only a tribunal de municipio or a tribunal arbitral (arbitral tribunal) can order an eviction (article 27).

The law sets no number of days of notice, and it allows notice through an agreed email address if there is reliable proof of sending and receipt (article 21). If the tenant stays after expiry, see how to recover a rented home.

The rent is not the only amount at stake: unless otherwise agreed, condominium fees and the taxes applicable to urban property are the landlord's responsibility (article 19). See which costs each party pays.

Where to find the BCV index and how to calculate the cap

The BCV publishes the Índice Nacional de Precios al Consumidor (INPC, the national consumer price index) on its consumer price statistics page. The monthly series "INPC desde 2008" (INPC since 2008), with base December 2007 = 100, gives each month's index and its monthly change. As of October 27, 2026, the latest month published in that table was September 2026.

To calculate the change over a period:

Take the index for the month you use as the start of the period and the index for the latest published month of the period.

Divide the final index by the initial one, subtract 1 and multiply by 100.

Apply that percentage, at most, to the rent in bolívares.

Example with made-up figures: if the index went from 200 to 260, the change is 30%, and a rent of Bs. 10,000 could rise to at most Bs. 13,000, if both parties accept it. Do not add up the monthly changes: they compound.

The law does not specify which months are used or which index to use (the BCV also publishes one for the Área Metropolitana de Caracas, the Caracas metropolitan area). It is advisable for the contract or the renewal agreement to say so.

Contracts still under the 2011 law

If the tenant already occupied the home before August 7, 2026, the Ley para la Regularización y Control de los Arrendamientos de Vivienda applies (Gaceta Oficial No. 6.053 Extraordinario, November 12, 2011). Under it, the rent is not freely agreed:

SUNAVI (the national housing-lease authority) sets it. "Es competencia de la Superintendencia Nacional de Arrendamiento de Vivienda, la fijación del canon" (setting the rent falls within the competence of the Superintendencia Nacional de Arrendamiento de Vivienda) (article 66).

Formula. A band between 3% and 5% annual return on the value of the property, depending on the type of landlord; the article says it is set annually by SUNAVI resolution (article 77). The monthly rent is the value divided by 12, multiplied by that percentage (article 78).

Review. SUNAVI reviews the rent, at the request of an interested party, one year after each setting, if the use or purpose changes, or if the landlord made improvements worth more than 20% of the value; the annual review can be requested up to 60 days in advance (article 83).

Cap and refund. The tenant is not obliged to pay more than the rent set by SUNAVI (article 47), and any amount charged in excess is subject to refund (article 125).

Formalities. The SUNAVI resolution setting the rent is attached to the contract, "so pena de nulidad" (on pain of nullity) (article 53), and contracts are entered into "en moneda de curso legal nacional" (in national legal tender) (article 54).

On expiry, a tenant who is up to date on payments has a preferential right to keep occupying the home "en las mismas condiciones" (on the same conditions), and the rent follows what that law establishes (article 89).

	2026 law	2011 law
Who sets the rent	The parties (art. 12)	SUNAVI (art. 66)
When it can change	Only on extension or renewal, by mutual agreement (art. 13)	SUNAVI review, among other cases one year after each setting (art. 83)
Cap	Change in the BCV index if the rent is in bolívares; no cap in foreign currency (art. 13)	Formula of 3% to 5% a year on the value (arts. 77 and 78)
Currency	Bolívares or foreign currency (art. 14)	Legal tender (art. 54)

How much can rent go up in Venezuela under the 2026 law?