Since 1 May 2026 there is one way to put up the rent on a private assured periodic tenancy in England: a section 13 notice on Form 4A. Rent review clauses in tenancy agreements no longer work, and an increase that does not follow section 13 has no effect. This guide walks through the form as published (version 05.26) and the date rules behind it.
In force as of 25 October 2026 Form 4A (05.26): Landlord’s notice proposing a new rent, private rented sector
Quarterday gives dates and checklists, not legal advice. If your situation is unusual (a company let, an agricultural occupancy, a tenancy that started under the Rent Act) take advice before serving.
Before you start: get the date right
Question 4.6, the date the new rent starts, is where most notices go wrong. Note A of the form sets three requirements, and all three must be met.
| Requirement | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A2: notice period | Served at least two months before the new rent starts | Served 15 March → earliest start 15 May |
| A3: frequency | First increase not until 52 weeks after the tenancy began; later increases 52 weeks after the last one (53 in some cases) | Tenancy began 20 April 2026 → 52 weeks is 19 April 2027 |
| A4: period start | The new rent must start on the first day of a rent period | Monthly tenancy that started on the 20th → the new rent starts on a 20th |
Put the three together. With the April example, 19 April 2027 is not a period start, so the earliest date is 20 April 2027, and you must serve by 20 February 2027. Serve later and the start moves to the next period start that is at least two months away.
The rent increase clock and the section 13 calculator do this arithmetic, including month-end tenancies and weekly periods.
When 53 weeks applies
Fifty-two weeks is 364 days, a day short of a year (two in a leap year), so an increase on the earliest possible date every year would drift earlier. Note A3 stops this: the new rent date “cannot be more than 6 days before the anniversary” of the date you give in question 4.4. If it would be, you wait 53 weeks instead. In practice, if you keep your increases on the same calendar date each year you will rarely hit this, but the form still asks for the 4.4 date when there has been an increase since 11 February 2003.
Question by question
Section 1: the tenants
1.1 Name every tenant on a joint tenancy. 1.2 The full address of the property the tenancy relates to, including the postcode.
Sections 2 and 3: landlord and agent
2.1–2.2 Your name and a contact address. The form notes it is important the tenant can reach someone about the proposed increase. 2.3 Phone and email are optional, but if you give an email you agree that the tenant and the tribunal may use it to serve documents on you. Section 3 repeats this for an agent, if you use one.
Section 4: the rent
- 4.1 Current rent, with its frequency: per week, fortnight, four weeks or month. The form says the tenancy period “must be a month or less”. Existing tenancies with longer periods were converted to monthly periods on 1 May 2026.
- 4.2 The date the tenancy started.
- 4.3 The date of the most recent rent increase, if any. Leave blank if there has been none since the tenancy began.
- 4.4 The date of the first rent increase after 11 February 2003, used for the 53-week check. Leave blank if none.
- 4.5 The proposed new rent and its frequency (the same tenancy period).
- 4.6 The date the new rent starts. Check it against the three requirements above.
- 4.7 Charges included in the rent: council tax, water, electricity/gas/other fuel, communication services (landline, internet, cable or satellite TV) and fixed service charges. Give the existing and proposed amount per tenancy period, or write “nil”. Note B says to include only charges that are part of the rent and not paid separately to a third party or to you, and not to include variable service charges.
Signature
Sign as landlord or as the landlord’s agent, print the name and date it. You can sign electronically or by hand. Joint landlords either each sign in the additional signature boxes, or agree that one signs for all of them.
Section 5: what the tenant reads
You do not complete section 5, but read it so you know what your tenant is told:
- they can accept and pay the new rent from the start date;
- they can agree with you, in writing, a different rent or a delay;
- they can refer the rent to the tribunal before the start date if they think it is above the market rate, or if there is another problem with the notice, such as less than two months’ notice;
- the tribunal “can consider other factors like the condition of the property”;
- they “will not be required to pay more than the rent the landlord first proposed”, and do not pay the new rent until the tribunal decides.
That last point matters for you: a challenge pauses the increase, and the tribunal can set the rent lower than you proposed but never higher. Section 5.2 currently links to an older GOV.UK page address; the live application route is Apply for an open market rent determination (form MR1, £47). See what to do if your tenant challenges.
Serving the notice
The note on the first page of Form 4A says you need to be able to evidence that you served it. If your written tenancy agreement specifies methods of service, use one of those. If it does not, you can:
- hand it to the tenant in person,
- leave it at the tenant’s address, or
- send it by registered post.
Email only works if the agreement names email as a method. Give a copy to each named tenant, keep the original, and write down when and how you served it. If you post it, allow extra days so that the two months still run from the date the tenant receives it. The calculators show a “serve by” date; posting on that date is cutting it fine.
Mistakes that sink a Form 4A
| Mistake | Why it fails | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Start date mid-period | Note A4: must be the first day of a tenancy period | Use the tenancy’s rent day |
| Less than two months’ notice | Note A2 and section 13(2) | Count from the day the tenant gets it |
| Increase within 52 weeks of the last one | Section 13(2)(c) | Count from the date the last increase took effect, not when it was agreed |
| Old Form 4 or a homemade letter | The notice must be in the prescribed form | Download Form 4A (05.26) from GOV.UK |
| Missing joint tenant | Each tenant should be named and served | List all names in 1.1 |
| Relying on a rent review clause | Section 13(4A) makes it of no effect | Serve Form 4A instead |
A rent increase agreed through a rent review clause that took effect before 1 May 2026 still counts: you must wait 52 weeks from it before proposing a new rent (SI 2026/421, regulation 7(2)). An increase that was agreed before 1 May but would only have taken effect after it does not apply.
Supporting the figure you propose
The form does not ask you to justify the rent, but if the tenant applies to the tribunal you will want evidence ready. A useful pack holds:
- three or more similar homes let nearby recently, with bedrooms, condition and rent;
- the ONS average rent for your council and bedroom count, for context (see average rents by council);
- notes on the property’s condition and any improvements.
The Form 4A evidence pack organises this and prints a summary. It describes where your proposed rent sits; it does not say whether the rent is “justified”, because only the tribunal decides that. ONS figures are averages across new and existing tenancies, so they usually sit below current asking rents.
After you serve
Add the start date to your calendar, and a reminder for the day before it. If you hear nothing, the new rent starts on that date. If the tribunal writes to say your tenant has applied, you have 28 days to send a reply on form MR2 if you want to. The property tracker records the notice, the start date and the MR2 deadline, and exports them to your calendar.
For the rules behind the dates, read section 13 rent increases under the Renters’ Rights Act.