Broadband price going up mid-contract — can you leave?

It depends on one thing: whether the rise was spelled out in pounds and pence before you signed.

Under Ofcom's rules, a provider that specifies price rises in the contract must make them clear at the point of sale. If it did not, and it raises your price mid-contract, it must give you one month's notice and the right to exit penalty-free.

From 17 January 2025, providers are also barred from putting inflation-linked or percentage-based rise terms into any new contract (Ofcom, 2025).

This is 1 of 31 Checks in the ClaimPilot rule library. The whole answer is below, including the free route. Nothing on this page needs paying for.

Estimated

The gap between your price and a new deal, for the months left

Effort

20 minutes

Deadline

The notice period in your provider's letter, usually 30 days

Last verified

27 August 2026

Estimated ranges are estimates, never promises. The figure you actually receive depends on your own circumstances and on the body you send the letter to.

Who this applies to

You are inside a minimum term and have had a letter, email or text about a price increase.
The increase was not set out in pounds and pence, with dates, when you bought the contract.
Or the increase is larger than what was set out, or arrives earlier than the date you were given.
This covers home phone, broadband, pay TV and pay monthly mobile alike.

What it is worth

This one is your own arithmetic, not a national average, so we will not print a figure for you.

Take the new monthly price, subtract the best price you can find elsewhere for the same speed, and multiply by the months left in your term.

Leaving penalty-free also removes the exit fee, which is often the largest single number in the decision.

The free route, step by step

You can do all of this yourself, free, today. We are not in the middle of it and we take no share of it.

01Find the notice. Note the date it was sent, the old price, the new price and the date the rise starts.
02Dig out your original contract or order confirmation. Look for a price rise set out in pounds and pence.
03If it is not there, write to the provider stating that you are exercising your right to exit penalty-free under Ofcom's General Conditions, within the notice period.
04If the provider refuses, take it to its alternative dispute resolution scheme free — Communications Ombudsman or CISAS — after 8 weeks or a deadlock letter.

Ofcom — telecoms price rises and your rights

Evidence you will need

The price rise notification, with its date
Your original contract or order confirmation showing the price you agreed
Two recent bills, showing the price before the rise
The date your minimum term ends

ClaimPilot never asks for any of this. The Scan asks about circumstances, not identity, and no letter is pre-filled with data we did not need.

What to watch for

If the rise was properly set out in pounds and pence at the point of sale, there is no right to exit. That is the whole point of the 2025 rules.
The right to exit is time-limited to the notice period. Miss it and you are back to paying the exit fee.
Leaving is not always the win. Check whether your provider will match a new-customer price first.
Contracts signed before 17 January 2025 can still carry percentage rise terms. Check the date you signed.

Sources

Ofcom — mid-contract price rises linked to inflation banned
The one month's notice and penalty-free exit rule, and the 17 January 2025 ban on percentage-based terms. Published 19 July 2024.
Ofcom — telecoms price rises, what are your rights
Ofcom's own consumer guidance on acting on a price rise notice.

Last verified: 27 August 2026. A Check last verified more than 180 days ago is withdrawn from the library until someone checks it again.

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