PRSCheck

Section 13 rent increases: a landlord's guide

Since 1 May 2026 every rent increase on a private tenancy in England goes through section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 on Form 4A. Get the dates wrong and the notice fails; get the figure wrong and a tribunal may set it lower, even below the current rent.

In 1,086 published tribunal decisions on private tenancies since January 2023, the rent was set below the landlord's figure in 798, with a median change of -5.3%.

Check your Form 4A dates

Enter when the notice will reach your tenant. Leave the start date blank to get the earliest valid one.

The home

For local tribunal figures.

The tenancy and rent

If a fixed term rolled straight on, use the original start date.

Rent periods usually start on the rent day. Leave as it is if it is the same day as the tenancy start.

The notice

Count from delivery, not posting.

Leave blank and we work out the earliest valid date.

Earlier increases
Joint tenants, possession notices and other unusual cases

What changed on 1 May 2026

Form 4A is the only route

Since 1 May 2026 a private landlord can raise the rent only by a section 13 notice on Form 4A, a tribunal decision, or an agreement for a lower figure made after one of those. Rent review clauses, and increases simply agreed with the tenant, have no effect (Housing Act 1988 s13(4A)). GOV.UK: you need to follow the section 13 process every time, even if you have already agreed the increase with your tenant.

Two months' notice

Up from one month for most tenancies. Count from the day the tenant receives the notice.

The tribunal cannot go above your figure

For notices served since 1 May 2026, a challenged rent can end at your proposal or lower, never higher (s14ZB(5)). It can also end below the current rent.

No backdating

If your tenant applies before the start date, they keep paying the current rent until the tribunal decides. The new rent then starts on your date or, if the decision comes later, at the first rent period on or after the decision (s14ZB(3)).

A notice that stands

  • Use the current Form 4A, name every tenant, and sign it (or have your agent sign; joint landlords all sign or authorise one).
  • Make the start date the first day of a rent period: the rent day, not the 1st of the month by default.
  • Allow at least two months from the day the tenant receives it, plus a few spare days if you post it.
  • Check the 52-week gaps from the tenancy start and from the last increase, and fill in questions 4.3 and 4.4 so the 53-week rule can be checked.
  • Only list charges in question 4.7 that are actually included in the rent.
  • Keep proof of service. If the tenant disputes when the notice arrived, you need to be able to show it (Form 4A's note to landlords says the same).

The full form, question by question, is on Form 4A explained.

Common questions

What is the earliest date I can increase the rent?

The latest of: two months after the tenant receives the notice; 52 weeks after the tenancy began; and 52 weeks (sometimes 53) after the last increase by notice or tribunal took effect, or after a rent review clause increase made before 1 May 2026. Then round forward to the first day of a rent period. The checker on this page does the arithmetic.

Can I still use a rent review clause?

No. Since 1 May 2026 a term providing for the rent to go up other than by a section 13 notice has no effect (Housing Act 1988 s13(4A)). An increase under a clause that took effect before 1 May 2026 still stands, and the next section 13 increase cannot start until 52 weeks after it (S.I. 2026/421 reg 7).

How should I serve the notice?

Use a method your written tenancy agreement specifies. If it specifies none, Form 4A says hand it to the tenant, leave it at their address, or send it by registered post; GOV.UK adds email if the agreement allows it. Keep proof of the date it was received, and leave a few spare days.

What if my tenant applies to the tribunal?

You will get a copy of the application. You have 28 days to respond on form MR2 with your evidence; the tenant can reply on form MR3. Lettings of similar homes that actually completed carry more weight than adverts. The tenant keeps paying the current rent until the decision.

Could the tribunal reduce the rent below what my tenant pays now?

Yes. For notices served since 1 May 2026, the new rent is the open-market rent if that is lower than your proposal. In 13 of 74 published decisions on such notices so far, the rent ended at or below the rent before the notice; in Manchester case MAN/00BN/MRA/2026/0043 the tribunal set £1,450 against a current £1,650 and a proposed £1,700.

What about a notice I served before 1 May 2026?

It continues under the old rules (S.I. 2026/421 reg 8): Form 4, the old minimum notice period, a tribunal able to set a higher rent, and a determined rent payable from the start date in the notice unless that caused undue hardship.

Sources

Rules checked against the Housing Act 1988 sections 13, 14 and 14ZB as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025, S.I. 2026/421 and S.I. 2026/354, on legislation.gov.uk, and against GOV.UK guidance, Form 4A and Form MR1, on 17 October 2026. Tribunal figures come from First-tier Tribunal decisions published on GOV.UK. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. We store no names or street addresses from the decisions.

PRSCheck is an information service, not a law firm, and this is not legal advice. We do not act for you or contact the tribunal or your landlord. For advice on your own situation, contact Shelter, Citizens Advice or a housing solicitor.