Section 13 rent increase: how Form 4A works for landlords in 2026

From 1 May 2026, a landlord of an assured periodic tenancy in England must use Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 and prescribed Form 4A to increase rent. You must give at least two months’ notice, you cannot increase rent in the first year, and you can increase it only once a year. A letter, email, or rent review clause is not a substitute.

What is a Section 13 rent increase?

Section 13 is the statutory process for proposing a new rent on a periodic assured tenancy. The prescribed form is Form 4A, published on the official assured tenancy forms page. Its full title is Landlord’s notice proposing a new rent for assured tenancies in the private rented sector.

Government guidance says you must follow the Section 13 process every time you increase the rent, even if you have already agreed the increase with the tenant. You should discuss the increase first, but discussion does not replace the form.

Form 4A replaced Form 4 for notices served on or after 1 May 2026. A Form 4 notice served before 1 May 2026 still applies, even if the new rent starts after that date. A rent increase agreed under a rent review clause before 1 May 2026 but taking effect after that date does not apply.

These rules apply to assured periodic tenancies in England. Different rules apply in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and to regulated tenancies. Lodgers who share living accommodation with their landlord are not usually on an assured periodic tenancy.

(Source: Assured periodic tenancies: rent increases; Assured tenancy forms; Housing Act 1988, section 13)

When can a landlord increase the rent?

The proposed start date on Form 4A must satisfy the timing rules at the same time.

For the field-by-field process, read how Form 4A works step by step.

(Source: Assured periodic tenancies: rent increases; Form 4A notes)

How must Form 4A be served?

Download the current Form 4A from the official forms page immediately before you complete it. Do not use a letter, an email, or your own template in place of the form.

Government guidance lists three ways to give the notice:

• in person
• by post
• by email, if that is allowed in the tenancy agreement

Keep proof of service and the date of service. The two-month period runs from service, not from the date you printed the form.

Where there are joint tenants, name them all. Where there are joint landlords, all should sign unless the tenancy allows one to act for the others.

Generate a Form 4A with the date checks built in. Use the free Form 4A generator

(Source: Assured periodic tenancies: rent increases)

What happens if the tenant challenges the increase?

If the tenant does not apply to the First-tier Tribunal before the proposed start date, and the notice is valid, the new rent takes effect on that date. The tenant does not need to sign anything.

If the tenant thinks the proposed rent is above the open market rent, they can ask the tribunal to decide the open market rent. They must apply before the start date in question 4.6. The application fee is £47. There is no fee if the notice is dated before 1 May 2026, or if the tenant lives in social rented housing. Help with fees may be available.

Official Form 4A notes say the tenant will not be required to pay more than the rent first proposed, and does not have to pay the new amount until the tribunal has decided. Government guidance says the determined rent might be lower or the same as the proposed figure. If the tribunal decision comes after the proposed start date, the new rent usually starts from the next payment date after the decision. A tenant can ask the tribunal to postpone the payment date because of hardship.

The landlord and tenant may agree a different rent after the notice is served. Read whether a tenant can refuse a Form 4A increase.

(Source: Apply for an open market rent determination; Form 4A)

What makes a Form 4A notice invalid?

A notice may have no legal effect if it uses the wrong form, gives less than two months’ notice, proposes a start date that is not the beginning of a tenancy period, increases rent in the first year, or proposes a second increase within a year. Names and addresses that do not match the tenancy can also be challenged.

An invalid notice does not increase the rent. The landlord must start again with a new Form 4A and a fresh notice period. Read the common mistakes that invalidate a Section 13 notice.

Last reviewed: 8 October 2026.

You can also use LLCR's free Form 4A generator to complete the template with built-in date validation and download your PDF instantly.