Is this rent increase valid, and is it fair?
Check a section 13 rent increase notice (Form 4A) against the rules that apply in England since 1 May 2026, then see what the First-tier Tribunal decided when other tenants challenged nearby. Free, for tenants and landlords.
1,086
published tribunal decisions since January 2023 with both rents stated
73%
set the rent below the landlord's figure
-5.3%
median change from the proposal (-£60 a month)
Rent increase checker
The rules, in brief
These apply to private assured tenancies in England for notices served on or after 1 May 2026. Each one is in the Housing Act 1988, section 13 or 14ZB, as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
On Form 4A
Since 1 May 2026 a private landlord must propose a rent increase on Form 4A, or a form substantially to the same effect. A letter or text on its own does not raise the rent.
At least two months' notice
The new rent cannot start until two months after the notice is served. Before 1 May 2026 it was one month for monthly or weekly tenancies.
Not in the first year
The first increase cannot start until 52 weeks after the tenancy began. A fixed term that rolled straight on counts from its original start.
Once a year
A further increase cannot start until 52 weeks after the last section 13 or tribunal increase took effect (53 weeks in one drift case). Rent review clauses stopped working on 1 May 2026.
On the first day of a rent period
If your rent is due on the 15th, the new rent must start on a 15th. For a weekly tenancy that began on a Monday, it must start on a Monday.
Challenge before the start date
The tribunal must receive a tenant's application before the start date in the notice. The fee is £47; Help with Fees can reduce it.
Never higher than the notice
For notices served since 1 May 2026, the tribunal cannot set a rent above the landlord's proposal. It can set it lower, even below the current rent.
No backdating
The tenant pays the current rent until the tribunal decides. The new rent then starts on the date in the notice or, if the decision comes later, at the first rent period beginning on or after the decision.
Where official pages disagree
GOV.UK, the tribunal's form and the government's own guide to the Act do not all say the same thing. Where they differ, we follow the legislation.
When a tribunal-set rent starts
The law: Housing Act 1988 s14ZB(3): the new rent starts on the date in the notice if that date is on or after the tribunal's decision. If the decision comes later, it starts at the beginning of the first rent period that begins on or after the decision date. If paying from that date would cause undue hardship, the tribunal can set a later date, which must fall within two months beginning with the decision date (s14ZB(4)).
- Form MR1 note 15.1 says the tribunal 'usually decides that the new rent is payable from the date in the notice'. That is only right when the decision comes before the date in the notice.
- The GOV.UK market rent guidance says the new rent will 'usually' start from 'the next payment date after the tribunal's decision'. The Act says on or after, and it is a rule, not a usual practice.
- The November 2025 Guide to the Renters' Rights Act says the new rent applies 'from the date of the Tribunal determination'. In practice it is the first rent period on or after that date.
Once a year
The law: Housing Act 1988 s13(2)(c) and (3A): a further increase can start no earlier than 52 weeks after the last section 13 or tribunal increase took effect (53 weeks where the drift rule in s13(3B) applies). 52 weeks is 364 days, one day short of a calendar year (two in a leap year).
- GOV.UK's tenant and landlord guides say 'once a year' and give the example of an increase on 1 February 2026 allowing the next on 1 February 2027. For a monthly tenancy that is the same answer, because the next rent period starts on 1 February anyway. For a weekly tenancy the legal minimum can be a day or two earlier.
How a notice can be served
The law: The Housing Act 1988 sets no general method of service for a section 13 notice. Form 4A's own note says: use a method your written tenancy agreement specifies; otherwise hand it to the tenant, leave it at their address, or send it by registered post.
- GOV.UK's guides list 'in person', 'by post' and 'by email (if that's allowed in your tenancy agreement)'. Ordinary post is not ruled out, but it is harder to prove, which is why the form suggests registered post.
Tribunal outcomes by region
Private tenancies, decisions since January 2023 that state both the proposed and the determined rent. Data from GOV.UK, fetched 17 October 2026.
| Region | Decisions | Set below proposal | Median change |
|---|---|---|---|
| South East | 274 | 204 (74%) | -5.6% |
| London | 207 | 157 (76%) | -6.5% |
| South West | 154 | 113 (73%) | -5.7% |
| North West | 121 | 90 (74%) | -5.9% |
| West Midlands | 107 | 76 (71%) | -4.0% |
| East of England | 102 | 74 (73%) | -5.2% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 57 | 41 (72%) | -5.0% |
| East Midlands | 39 | 26 (67%) | -2.8% |
| North East | 25 | 17 (68%) | -4.3% |
For notices served on or after 1 May 2026, 76 published decisions so far: 46 set the rent below the proposal and 30 at it. None went higher, because the law no longer allows it. More on what the tribunal decides.
Common questions
How much notice must a landlord give for a rent increase in England?
For a notice served on or after 1 May 2026, at least two months, on Form 4A (Housing Act 1988 s13(2)(a), as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025). For a notice served before then, the old minimum applied: one month for a monthly or weekly tenancy.
How often can my landlord increase the rent?
Once a year. The first increase cannot start until 52 weeks after the tenancy began, and a further increase cannot start until 52 weeks after the last increase by section 13 notice or tribunal took effect (53 weeks where increase dates have drifted more than six days ahead of the anniversary of the first one). Where rent went up under a rent review clause before 1 May 2026, the next increase cannot start until 52 weeks after that one (S.I. 2026/421 reg 7).
Can the tribunal put my rent up by more than my landlord asked for?
Not for a notice served on or after 1 May 2026. The tribunal works out the open-market rent and the new rent is that figure if it is lower than the proposal, otherwise the proposal (Housing Act 1988 s14ZB(5)). It can be lower than your current rent. For notices served before 1 May 2026 the old rules let the tribunal set a higher rent.
Do I have to pay the higher rent while the tribunal decides?
No. If you apply before the start date in the notice, you keep paying your current rent until the tribunal decides. Form 4A says: 'You do not have to pay the new rent amount until the tribunal has made its decision.'
Will the new rent be backdated?
For notices served on or after 1 May 2026, no. The new rent starts on the date in the notice if the tribunal decides before that date; otherwise it starts at the beginning of the first rent period on or after the decision. If paying from then would cause undue hardship, the tribunal can set a later date within two months beginning with the decision (s14ZB(3) and (4)). Some GOV.UK pages describe this loosely; we follow the Act.
Can a rent increase notice be served by email?
GOV.UK says a landlord can use email if that is allowed in the tenancy agreement. Form 4A's own note says to use a method the written agreement specifies, or otherwise hand the notice over, leave it at the tenant's address, or send it by registered post.
What if the notice is not valid?
An invalid notice does not raise the rent. If the tribunal decides the notice is invalid it will not set a rent, and GOV.UK says the proposed rent does not have to be paid. The landlord can serve a fresh, valid notice, which restarts the two months.
Does this apply to housing association, council or Welsh tenancies?
No. This checker covers private assured tenancies in England. Housing association tenancies follow section 13A and the social housing Rent Standard, council tenancies are usually secure tenancies, and Wales and Scotland have their own rent increase rules.
What do rent tribunals usually decide?
Across 1,086 published decisions since January 2023 on private tenancies where both rents are stated, the tribunal set the rent below the landlord's figure in 798 (73%). The median change from the landlord's proposal was -5.3%. Cases that settle are never published, so these are challenges that reached a decision.
Is this legal advice?
No. PRSCheck is an information service. We check the dates and rules you give us against the legislation and show published tribunal decisions. For advice on your own situation, contact Shelter, Citizens Advice or a housing solicitor.
Sources
- Housing Act 1988, section 13 (as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025, s.6, from 1 May 2026)
- Housing Act 1988, section 14ZB (effect of determination: proposed new rent)
- S.I. 2026/421, regulation 7 (rent review clause increases before 1 May 2026)
- S.I. 2026/421, regulation 8 (notices served before 1 May 2026)
- S.I. 2026/354, regulation 3 (Form 4A is the prescribed form for private assured tenancies)
- GOV.UK, Form 4A: Landlord's notice proposing a new rent (05.26), on the Assured tenancy forms page
- GOV.UK, Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for tenants, Rent increases
- GOV.UK, Apply for an open market rent determination (updated 10 August 2026)
- HMCTS, Form MR1: Apply for a determination of an open market rent (08.26)
- GOV.UK news, Stronger protections and greater confidence for renters (9 September 2026)
- GOV.UK, Residential property tribunal decisions: Rents, market rent
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.