Rent Increase Notice UK 2026, Section 13 Form 4A

Rent Increase Notice England 2026, What Landlords Need

Since 1 May 2026, the only lawful way to raise rent on a private tenancy in England is by serving a rent increase notice using Form 4A under Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 (as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025). Contractual rent-review clauses in tenancy agreements no longer have legal effect on periodic assured tenancies, they cannot be used instead of, or in addition to, a Section 13 notice. Every landlord in England who wants to increase rent must use this process regardless of what their tenancy agreement says.

The Section 13 rules from 1 May 2026

Section 13 as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025 sets four hard rules for English landlords:

• Form 4A only: The prescribed form is now Form 4A (replacing Form 4). Any notice served on the old Form 4 has no legal effect
• Once per 12 months: The earliest any Section 13 increase can take effect is 12 months after the tenancy start date or 12 months after the last increase, whichever is later
• Minimum 2 months' notice: The notice must be served at least 2 months before the proposed new rent date
• Market-rate cap: The proposed rent must not exceed the market rent for an equivalent property. The First-tier Tribunal applies this test if the tenant challenges the increase

What Form 4A must contain

The prescribed form must include all of the following, a notice missing any field is invalid:

• The tenant's name and address
• The landlord's name and address
• The property address
• The current rent and the proposed new rent
• The date from which the new rent will be payable
• A statement of the tenant's right to refer to the First-tier Tribunal
• The landlord's or agent's signature and the date of service

What happens if the tenant challenges the increase

A tenant who receives a Section 13 notice can refer it to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) before the proposed effective date. The Tribunal sets the market rent, which may be higher, lower, or the same as the proposed increase.

The Tribunal will not reduce the rent below the current level. If you pitch the increase within normal market parameters for your area, a Tribunal referral should produce an outcome close to your proposed figure. The risk is if you overclaim, an overreaching increase will be reduced to market rate, and you bear the time and uncertainty cost.

Increases that are NOT valid from 1 May 2026

Several rent-increase methods that were previously valid for fixed-term ASTs are now invalid for assured periodic tenancies:

• Contractual rent-review clauses: Index-linked, fixed-percentage, or landlord-notice clauses in the tenancy agreement have no effect on PATs from 1 May 2026
• Old Form 4: Using the superseded Form 4 (pre-May 2026 version) renders the notice invalid, it must be re-served on Form 4A
• Informal letters: A letter saying 'your rent will be £X from [date]' is not a valid Section 13 notice unless it exactly follows the Form 4A content
• Verbal notices: Section 13 must be in writing, on the prescribed form

Calculation: checking the 12-month rule

The most common error is serving Section 13 too early. The calculation depends on whether this is the first increase or a subsequent one.

• First increase: the earliest effective date is 12 months after the tenancy start date
• Subsequent increase: the earliest effective date is 12 months after the date the last increase took effect (not when the last notice was served)
• If a tenant referred a previous notice to the Tribunal: count 12 months from the Tribunal's determination date, not the tenancy start
• Give yourself 2 months' notice on top: the notice must be served at least 2 months before the proposed date

Frequently asked questions