How to increase rent in England: the Section 13 notice and Form 4A

If you let a property in England on an assured tenancy, there is now one lawful way to raise the rent: a Section 13 notice on Form 4A. This guide explains the process, the deadlines that most often trip landlords up, and what your tenant can do in response.

Last reviewed: September 2026

What changed on 1 May 2026

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and its main provisions came into force on 1 May 2026. For rent increases, three things matter:

• Assured shorthold tenancies are gone. Every private tenancy that was an AST is now a periodic assured tenancy. There are no more fixed terms for new lettings.
• Rent-review clauses no longer work. Any clause in the tenancy agreement that sets out a mechanism for increasing the rent is of no effect for periodic assured tenancies. You cannot rely on "rent rises by CPI each April" or similar.
• Section 13 is the only method. To change the rent you serve a statutory notice under section 13 of the Housing Act 1988, using the prescribed form.

Agreeing a new rent in writing with the tenant is still possible at any time. But if the tenant does not agree, the Section 13 notice is your only lawful mechanism.

The only route: a Section 13 notice on Form 4A

The prescribed form is Form 4A — "Landlord's notice proposing a new rent for assured tenancies in the private rented sector" — under section 13(2) of the Housing Act 1988. It is published free on GOV.UK's assured tenancy forms page. Use the current version; the form is occasionally updated.

The notice proposes a new rent from a stated date. If the tenant does nothing, the new rent takes effect on that date. If the tenant refers it to the tribunal, the tribunal decides the rent.

The three timing rules

Getting the dates wrong is what makes a Section 13 notice fail. All three of these must be satisfied by the start date you put in the notice (question 4.6). Our free rent increase date calculator works out the earliest lawful date for you.

1. At least two months' notice

The new rent cannot start until at least two months after the tenant receives the notice. If you post it, allow for delivery — first-class post is generally treated as served on the second working day after posting, so count the two months from then.

2. At least 52 weeks since the last increase

Rent cannot be increased in the first 52 weeks of the tenancy. After that, each increase must be at least 52 weeks after the previous one. There is a narrower point for anniversaries: the new rent date cannot be more than six days before the anniversary of the first increase after 11 February 2003 — if it would be, you wait a 53rd week.

3. The new rent must start at the beginning of a tenancy period

Filling in Form 4A

The form asks for:

• The tenant(s) and the address of the property
• The landlord's name and a contact address (and an agent's, if one manages the tenancy)
• The current rent and how often it is paid (the tenancy period — must be monthly or shorter)
• The date the tenancy started, the date of the most recent increase, and the first increase after 11 February 2003
• The proposed new rent and the date it will start
• Any fixed bills or service charges included in the rent
• Your signature, capacity (landlord or agent), printed name and the date

The form also contains prescribed notes and a "what to do next" section for the tenant. These are part of the form — do not remove them.

Common mistakes that invalidate a notice

• Start date too soon — less than two months after service, or before 52 weeks have passed.
• Start date mid-period — e.g. a monthly tenancy that began on the 14th, with a new rent starting on the 1st.
• Using an old form — the pre-May-2026 Form 4, or a saved template with outdated wording.
• Relying on a rent-review clause instead of serving the statutory notice.
• No proof of service — if the tenant disputes receiving it, you need evidence of how and when it was served.
• Wrong instrument — Form 4A is for private assured periodic tenancies in England. Resident landlords, company lets, agricultural tenancies and social landlords follow different rules.

What your tenant can do

Once served, the tenant has three options before the start date on the notice:

1. Accept it — pay the new rent from the start date, and update any standing order.
2. Agree something else — a different figure or date, put in writing.
3. Challenge it — apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) for a market-rent determination. The application must reach the tribunal before the start date on the notice. The tribunal decides what the rent would be on the open market; it can be higher or lower than your proposal, but the tenant will not have to pay more than you proposed. A tenant cannot be evicted for challenging a rent increase.

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