Section 13 rent increases: how they work for landlords
A section 13 notice is now the only way to raise the rent on a private assured tenancy in England. Here are the rules, the steps, and what tribunals have done when tenants pushed back.
The short version: you can raise the rent once a year, never in the first year, by serving Form 4A at least two months before the new rent starts. If your tenant thinks it is above market rent, they can ask the First-tier Tribunal to set the rent. Under the Renters' Rights Act, the tribunal cannot set it higher than you asked for.
Rules as they stand since 1 May 2026, for private tenancies in England.
The section 13 rules at a glance
Taken from the GOV.UK guide for landlords and the notes on Form 4A.
| Question | Rule |
|---|---|
| How often can I raise the rent? | Once a year. The first increase cannot start until 52 weeks after the tenancy began, and each later one at least 52 weeks after the last. |
| How much notice do I give? | At least two months before the new rent starts. |
| Which form do I use? | Form 4A, the landlord's notice proposing a new rent for private assured tenancies in England. |
| When can the new rent start? | At the beginning of a tenancy period. For a monthly tenancy that began on the 20th, that means the 20th of a month. |
| How can I serve it? | In person, by post, or by email if the tenancy agreement allows it. |
| What if my tenant already agreed? | You still follow the section 13 process for every increase, even an agreed one. |
| What if they challenge it? | The First-tier Tribunal sets the open market rent. It cannot go above the rent you proposed. |
| When does a tribunal rent take effect? | From the start date in your notice if the decision comes first, otherwise from the next rent period after the decision. No backdating. In cases of undue hardship, the tribunal can delay it by up to two months. |
How to serve a section 13 notice
Five steps, from picking a figure to the day the new rent starts.
Step 1. Check the rent you plan to ask for
If your tenant challenges it, the tribunal asks what the property would let for on the open market, on the same terms. Look at what similar homes let for, and at what tribunals set for properties like yours.
Step 2. Talk to your tenant
GOV.UK suggests discussing the increase first. An agreement does not replace the notice, but it makes a challenge less likely.
Step 3. Fill in Form 4A
Set the new rent and a start date at least two months away, at least 52 weeks after the last increase, and on the first day of a tenancy period. Use the tenant's correct name and address, and sign it.
Step 4. Serve it and keep proof
Hand it over, post it, or email it if the tenancy agreement allows email. Keep a record of when and how it was served.
Step 5. Wait for the start date
If your tenant accepts, they pay the new rent from the start date. To challenge it, they must apply to the tribunal before that date, and should tell you they have.
What makes a notice invalid?
A tenant can ask the tribunal to rule on whether your notice is valid. GOV.UK lists what a valid section 13 notice must get right, so these are the mistakes to avoid.
- Less than two months' notice
- An increase within 52 weeks of the last one, or during a fixed term
- A start date that is not the first day of a tenancy period
- The wrong name or address for the tenant
- The wrong form, or a form the landlord has not signed
When a tribunal application ends with no rent set, the most common reasons are an invalid notice or a case the tribunal has no power to hear.
What happens if your tenant goes to tribunal?
These figures come from 164 decisions made under the Renters' Rights Act, out of 1,796 published market rent decisions from the First-tier Tribunal.
4 in 10
got the full increase under the new rules. Before the Act it was 2 in 10.
- 4 got the full increase
- 4 got part of it
- 2 got nothing, or a cut
Should you ask for less to be safe?
It won't protect you. Asks under 5% were the likeliest to get nothing.
£73 of £100
kept from each £100 a month asked for, in a typical case
When the tribunal does not give the full increase, landlords typically keep about 73% of it.
8 weeks
from application to decision
Down from 19 weeks before the Act.
1 in 14
new-rules cases ended with the rent cut
The tribunal sometimes set a rent below what the tenant already paid.
1 in 15
applications ended without a rent being set
Struck out or withdrawn, most often because the landlord's notice was invalid or the tribunal had no jurisdiction.
Latest decision included: 19 October 2026. How the figures are produced
What did tribunals decide near you?
Search by the first half of the postcode to read the decisions in your area, with the rent each landlord asked for and the rent the tribunal set.
What will a tribunal do with your rent increase?
Put in your property. We'll show you the closest decisions tribunals have made, and what happened to landlords who asked for a similar increase.
Questions landlords ask about section 13
Not for a private assured tenancy in England. Since 1 May 2026, every private rent increase goes through the section 13 process. An increase agreed before 1 May 2026 that takes effect after that date does not apply.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Assured periodic tenancies, a guide for landlords (rent increases)
- GOV.UK: Form 4A, landlord's notice proposing a new rent
- GOV.UK: Apply for an open market rent determination
- Renters' Rights Act 2025, section 7
This is not legal advice. A tribunal sets market rent case by case, on the evidence in front of it.
