Section 13 Rent Increase Notice: How to Increase Rent Lawfully from 2026
The full statutory basis, evidence requirements, deadlines, and penalty detail for Form 4A, 2-month notice period, 12-month restriction, and tribunal challenge are on the dedicated obligation page.
View Rent Increase Notice — Form 4A obligation →From 1 May 2026, rent increases for most assured tenancies in England must be carried out using the statutory Section 13 process under the Housing Act 1988 as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Contractual rent review clauses can no longer be used for this purpose. The prescribed form is Form 4A. This guide explains the rules, the required process, what tenants can do in response, and what landlords must record. Section 13 applies to periodic tenancies — it is the mechanism by which a landlord may propose a new rent on an assured periodic tenancy where no valid contractual rent review clause applies. It is derived from the Housing Act 1988 as amended and official GOV.UK guidance. It is not legal advice.
The four key rules
Form 4A: the prescribed form
The government prescribes the form that must be used for a Section 13 rent increase notice for private sector tenancies from 1 May 2026. That form is Form 4A. Using an incorrect or outdated form risks the notice being invalid.
Form 4A is published on GOV.UK under "Assured tenancy forms for privately rented properties from 1 May 2026." Landlords should download the current version directly from GOV.UK before each use — do not rely on a saved copy from a third-party website, as forms are updated and an outdated version may not be valid.
The form must be completed accurately, including the correct proposed rent figure, the date from which the new rent is proposed to take effect, and the date of service. Errors in the form can invalidate the notice.
Prescribed forms change. A Form 4A saved from a letting agent template or a third-party website may be an earlier version. Download Form 4A directly from GOV.UK each time you use it to ensure you are using the current prescribed version.
The Section 13 process step by step
- Check the 12-month restriction. Confirm that the tenancy has been running for at least 12 months and that no Section 13 notice has been served within the last 52 weeks.
- Download Form 4A from GOV.UK. Use the current version only.
- Complete the form. Enter the property address, the current rent, the proposed new rent, and the date from which the new rent is proposed to apply. The proposed effective date must be the first day of a rental period and must be at least two months after the date the notice is served.
- Serve the notice on the tenant. Keep proof of service — a dated covering email with the form attached, or proof of postage if served by post.
- Record the notice in your evidence pack. Date served, proposed effective date, proposed new rent, method of service.
- If the tenant does not refer to the Tribunal, the new rent takes effect on the proposed date. If the tenant refers the notice to the First-tier Tribunal before the effective date, the Tribunal process applies (see below).
Tenant referral to the First-tier Tribunal
A tenant who receives a Section 13 notice may refer the proposed increase to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) before the date the increase is due to take effect. The referral must be made before the effective date stated in the notice — if no referral is made in time, the new rent takes effect as proposed.
Where a referral is made, the Tribunal determines a market rent for the property. The Tribunal's determination may be higher than, lower than, or the same as the rent proposed in the notice. The Tribunal's determination is binding.
Landlords should be aware that a Tribunal determination is based on the market rent — it is not limited to confirming or refusing the landlord's proposed figure. If the market rent at the time of the hearing is higher than the landlord proposed, the Tribunal may set a rent above what the landlord asked for. Conversely, if the proposed increase is above market, the Tribunal may set a lower figure.
Rent review clauses no longer apply
From 1 May 2026, contractual rent review clauses in tenancy agreements can no longer be used to increase rent on most assured tenancies. Any purported rent increase made under a rent review clause after that date is not a valid increase under the statutory framework. Rent increases on assured periodic tenancies must be made using Section 13 and Form 4A.
Landlords who have existing tenancy agreements containing rent review clauses should remove them from any template agreements they use going forward. Where an existing tenancy contains such a clause, the clause no longer operates for its intended purpose on most assured tenancies in England from 1 May 2026.