Section 13 notice: the legal way to increase rent in England

Last updated August 2026

What a Section 13 notice is

A Section 13 notice is the formal route a landlord uses to propose a new rent under section 13 of the Housing Act 1988. Since the Renters' Rights Act 2025 took effect on 1 May 2026, it is the only lawful way to increase the rent on a periodic assured tenancy in England - rent-review clauses in the tenancy agreement no longer apply, and you can't simply agree a rise informally and rely on it.

The notice must be served on the prescribed form - Form 4A - and give the tenant the correct amount of notice. Get the form, the dates, or the frequency wrong and the increase is void: you have to start again.

The rules at a glance

• Minimum notice: at least two months before the new rent starts.
• Frequency: no more than once every 52 weeks (roughly once a year).
• Form: the current prescribed Form 4A - nothing else counts.
• Effective date: must fall at the start of a period of the tenancy.
• Amount: there is no cap and no CPI limit - but it must be a realistic open-market rent (see below).

How much can you increase the rent?

There is no percentage cap on private rents in England. The only limit is the open market rate - what the property would let for today (the ONS average rents by area are a guide). If the tenant thinks the proposed rent is above market, they can refer it to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), free of charge, before the new rent starts.

Two protections for tenants matter to you as a landlord: the tribunal cannot set a rent higher than the amount you proposed, and any increase it decides cannot be backdated. So pitching slightly under a stretch figure is often safer than an aggressive one that invites a challenge.

Serving the notice correctly

The two-month clock runs from the date the notice is served, not the date you fill it in. If you post it, it's typically treated as served two working days later - so build that in or your effective date may be too early. Serve by a method your tenancy agreement permits (by hand, by post, or by email only if the agreement allows email service), and keep proof.

Our tool fills in a valid Form 4A and calculates the earliest lawful start date for you, so the notice isn't void for a wrong date or a wrong box.