Section 13 Notice (Form 4A): Rent Increase Notice for England

When you can use a Section 13 notice

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 changed how rent increases work in England. Since 1 May 2026, most private tenancies are assured periodic tenancies. For these, a Section 13 notice on Form 4A is the only way to increase the rent.

Rent review clauses in a tenancy agreement no longer give you a separate route. If you want more rent, you serve Form 4A and follow its rules.

• The property is in England. Wales and Scotland have different rules (see our Wales and Scotland pages).
• The tenancy is a private assured periodic tenancy. Former assured shorthold tenancies became assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026.
• At least 52 weeks have passed since the tenancy began, or since the last rent increase, by the date the new rent starts.
• Rent is paid weekly, fortnightly, every four weeks or monthly. Form 4A says the rent period must be a month or less.

How much notice you must give

Three date rules apply. The start date you write on the form must meet all of them:

1. The notice must be served at least two months before the new rent starts.
2. The first increase cannot start until 52 weeks after the tenancy began. Later increases must start at least 52 weeks after the previous increase took effect. The Form 4A notes contain a small adjustment for some tenancies, and our rent increase date calculator applies it for you.
3. The new rent must start on the first day of a rent period. If rent is due on the 22nd of each month, the new rent must start on a 22nd.

The two months run from when the tenant receives the notice, not from when you send it, so allow time for delivery.

Worked examples: weekly, fortnightly, month-end and bank holidays

These examples cover the cases that catch landlords out. Each uses our conservative delivery allowances (not legal rules): same day by hand, one business day if left at the property or emailed, two business days by post. For more, see Section 13 earliest date: worked examples.

Count weekly and fortnightly rent periods from the day the tenancy began, not from the date you serve.

For tenancies that began on the 29th, 30th or 31st, our calculator treats the last day of a shorter month as the period start. Check what your agreement says about rent days in those months, and choose a later date if in doubt.

Posting one day later over Easter cost this landlord a month. Handing it over on Thursday 25 March instead would still have allowed Sunday 30 May 2027.

Because 52 weeks is a little shorter than a year, increase dates can drift earlier each year. Note A3 stops that drift, which is why question 4.4 asks for the first increase after 11 February 2003.

Form 4A or Form 4: which form to use

Using the wrong form is a common reason a rent increase fails. Form 4A states which tenancies it is for:

Do not reuse a blank form saved before 1 May 2026. Our tool prints the current form version in the footer.

How to fill in Form 4A, step by step

Our tool fills in Form 4A from your answers, keeping the wording and notes from the gov.uk form. Check every detail before you serve it. Our guide on how to fill in Form 4A covers each question.

1. Enter the full name of every tenant named on the tenancy. Joint tenants should all be named.
2. Enter the property address exactly as it appears on the tenancy.
3. Enter your name and address as the landlord (or your agent’s, if they serve it for you).
4. Enter the current rent and how often it is paid.
5. Enter the tenancy start date, the most recent increase and the first increase after 11 February 2003 (leave either blank if none).
6. Enter the proposed new rent for the same rent period.
7. Enter the date the new rent starts. Our date checker will flag a date that breaks the rules above.
8. If any bills are included in the rent, enter the existing and proposed charge for each one.
9. Sign and date the notice. Keep an exact copy of what you serve.

• If you give an email address, the form says the tenant and the tribunal may use it to serve documents on you.
• Question 4.7: list only bills included in the rent, or write “nil”. Do not list variable service charges.
• Joint landlords either each sign, or agree that one signs for all.

Read the notes printed on the form. They are part of the notice and they explain the tenant’s rights.

How to serve the notice (and prove it)

You must be able to prove that the tenant received the notice, and when. If your tenancy agreement sets out how notices must be given, follow it. If it does not, Form 4A suggests handing it to the tenant in person, leaving it at their address or sending it by registered post.

These allowances are conservative planning buffers, not legal rules on when a notice is treated as served. Business days exclude weekends and bank holidays in England, so posted notices take longer over Christmas and Easter. Read more in how to serve a notice.

What the tenant can do (tribunal challenge)

Your tenant can refer the proposed rent to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). The tribunal must receive the application before the date the new rent is due to start.

• Before the start date, you and the tenant can agree a lower rent than the one proposed, or that the rent stays the same.
• If the tenant does not apply in time, the new rent starts on the date in your notice.
• If the tenant applies, the tribunal looks at the rent. The tenant cannot be made to pay more than the rent you proposed in your notice.

The tribunal decides the open-market rent for the property on the same terms, and can consider its condition. You can reply to the application. The tenant does not pay the new amount until the tribunal decides.

A rent in line with similar local properties makes a challenge less likely. Keep notes of the comparable rents you used. Read more about the tribunal challenge.

Checklist before you serve Form 4A

• The property is in England and the tenancy is a private assured periodic tenancy.
• At least 52 weeks will have passed by the start date (or 53 weeks, if Note A3 applies).
• The start date is the first day of a rent period and at least two months after the tenant receives the notice.
• The new rent is for the same rent period, every tenant is named and the address matches the tenancy.
• Bills included in the rent are listed, or marked “nil”.
• The notice is signed and dated, and you have kept an exact copy.
• You know how you will serve it and what proof you will keep.
• You have written down the comparable rents you used.

Check the dates with the free rent increase date calculator, and see what else is due with the landlord compliance checklist.

Common mistakes that make a notice invalid

• Using an old version of the form. We show the current form version (4A-2026-05) on this page and in the PDF footer.
• Using Form 4, which is for the social rented sector, for a private tenancy.
• A start date less than two months after the tenant receives the notice.
• A start date that is not the first day of a rent period, especially with weekly and fortnightly tenancies.
• Increasing the rent within 52 weeks of the tenancy starting or of the last increase.
• Ignoring the 53-week rule in Note A3.
• Leaving out a joint tenant’s name.
• Not being able to prove when and how the notice was served.
• Using a rent review clause or a letter instead of Form 4A.