Can my broadband provider increase prices mid-contract?

Short answer

Usually yes, if your contract says so. Most major providers include an annual inflation-linked increase clause, and since 2024 Ofcom requires any rise to be stated in pounds and pence at the point of sale. If it was not clearly set out, you may be able to leave penalty-free.

Mid-contract price rises are lawful if — and only if — your contract provides for them. Most large providers include a clause allowing an annual increase linked to inflation (CPI or RPI), and that clause is what makes the rise enforceable. Since 2024, Ofcom has required providers to state any in-contract price increase in pounds and pence at the point of sale, rather than burying it in a formula you would have to calculate yourself.

When you can walk away without a penalty

The increase was not clearly set out. If your provider raises prices in a way your contract did not plainly state, you may have the right to exit without an early termination fee.
The provider significantly changed the terms. A material change you did not agree to can give a right to leave penalty-free under consumer law.
Your speed is below the guarantee. If actual speeds consistently fall short of the minimum guaranteed download speed in your contract and the provider cannot fix it within 30 days of you reporting it, you can leave without an early termination fee. Report it in writing to start that clock, and keep speed tests run at different times of day.

Early termination fees are otherwise generally lawful, but they must reflect the provider's actual loss rather than operate as a penalty. If you are switching anyway, One Touch Switch — in place since September 2023 — means you contact only the new provider, who manages the move and keeps your service running until the new one is live.

If the provider will not budge

Complain through the channel in your provider's published complaints code of practice, so the complaint is logged and the clock starts. Give your account number, the disputed charges with dates, and the outcome you want. Keep a dated log of every contact, and if the provider says it can do no more, ask it to confirm that in writing — that deadlock letter unlocks independent adjudication straight away.

Otherwise, for complaints first raised on or after 8 April 2026, you can go to an Ofcom-approved ADR scheme once 6 weeks have passed (8 weeks for older complaints), and you have 12 months from a deadlock letter to do so. Your provider belongs to either CISAS or the Communications Ombudsman — check its website or the letter. The adjudicator decides on the documents, the decision binds the provider if you accept it, and the scheme is free.

Read the full guide: Telecoms and Broadband ComplaintsCovers eligibility, the process, deadlines, and next steps in depth.

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