How to Increase Rent Under the Renters' Rights Act: Form 4A Explained

From 1 May 2026, the only way to increase rent on any assured tenancy in England is the Section 13 process using Form 4A. Informal agreements, rent review clauses, and fixed-term renewal increases all become invalid. If you're a landlord or letting agent, here's exactly how the new process works and what you need to prepare.

What is Form 4A?

Form 4A is the new prescribed notice form for rent increases under Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988, as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. It replaces the current Form 4.

The government has confirmed Form 4A will be published on GOV.UK's assured tenancy forms page by 1 May 2026. Until then, the existing Form 4 remains valid for rent increases served before that date.

What changes on 1 May 2026

Rule	Before 1 May 2026	From 1 May 2026
Prescribed form	Form 4	Form 4A
Minimum notice period	1 month (monthly tenancy)	2 months (all tenancies)
Frequency	Once per year for periodic tenancies	Once per year (all tenancies are now periodic)
Rent review clauses	Valid if in the tenancy agreement	Invalid — cannot be used to increase rent
CPI/RPI indexation clauses	Valid if agreed	Void — automatic increases based on any index are prohibited
Informal agreements	Technically possible	Not permitted — only Form 4A counts

The change from 1 month to 2 months' notice is significant. If a tenancy started on 1 May 2026, the earliest you could increase the rent is 1 May 2027 (12-month minimum), and you'd need to serve the Form 4A by 1 March 2027 at the latest (2 months' notice).

The step-by-step Section 13 process under the RRA

Step 1: Check eligibility

Before serving a Form 4A, verify:

• 12-month minimum: At least 52 weeks must have passed since the tenancy began or since the last Section 13 rent increase — whichever is later
• No recent increase: The rent has not been increased by Section 13 in the previous 12 months
• Compliance requirements met: Your ability to increase rent depends on meeting basic landlord obligations. If you haven't provided a valid Gas Safety Certificate, EICR, deposit protection, or the required Written Statement, a tenant can challenge the increase on procedural grounds

Step 2: Determine the new rent

The rent you propose must reflect market rent for the property in its current condition. The First-tier Tribunal (FTT) will assess this if the tenant challenges, and they'll compare your proposed rent to similar properties in the same area.

Factors the tribunal considers:

• Comparable rents for similar properties in the locality
• The condition of the property (including any improvements the tenant has made — these are disregarded)
• The terms of the tenancy
• The age, character, and locality of the property

Practical tip: Before proposing a rent increase, check current asking rents for comparable properties on Rightmove and Zoopla. Keep screenshots as evidence in case of a tribunal challenge.

Step 3: Serve Form 4A

Once Form 4A is available on GOV.UK, complete it with:

• The current rent amount
• The proposed new rent amount
• The date the new rent takes effect (at least 2 months from the date of service)
• Your name and address (or your agent's details)

Serve it on the tenant. Keep a copy and proof of service (recorded delivery, or a signed acknowledgement).

Step 4: Wait for the tenant's response

The tenant has three options:

1. Accept — they pay the new rent from the specified date
2. Negotiate — you can agree a lower amount than proposed (Section 13(4)(b) of the Housing Act 1988, as amended). This agreed amount becomes the new rent.
3. Challenge at the First-tier Tribunal — the tenant can refer your notice to the FTT before the increase takes effect

Step 5: If the tenant challenges at tribunal

The FTT determines the market rent for the property. The outcome can be:

• The proposed rent is confirmed — the tenant pays the new amount
• The rent is reduced — if the FTT finds the proposed rent exceeds market rate, they set a lower amount
• The increase is delayed — the FTT can delay the start date by up to 2 months in cases of undue hardship

The tenant risks nothing by challenging. Under the RRA, the tribunal cannot set a rent higher than the amount the landlord proposed. This is a deliberate change to encourage tenants to challenge — previously, the tribunal could set a higher rent than proposed, which deterred challenges.

What happens to existing rent review clauses?

Any rent review clause in an existing tenancy agreement — whether it references CPI, RPI, a fixed percentage, or a formula — becomes void on 1 May 2026. The clause remains in the agreement text, but it has no legal effect.

This means:

• You cannot increase rent based on an agreed formula, even if the tenant signed the clause
• Any rent increase agreed under a rent review clause before 1 May 2026 that takes effect after 1 May 2026 is not permitted (per government transition guidance)
• You must use the Section 13 / Form 4A process for all future increases

If you have a rent review date coming up between now and 1 May 2026, serve the increase under the current Form 4 before 1 May 2026 to lock it in. If the increase takes effect before 1 May 2026, it stands.

How this affects your cash flow

The new rules create predictable constraints on rental income increases:

• Year 1: No increase possible. You set the asking rent at the tenancy start.
• Year 2 onwards: One increase per year, with 2 months' notice.
• Tribunal risk: Every increase can be challenged, and the tenant has no downside to challenging. Budget for the possibility that increases are delayed by 2-4 months.

If you manage multiple properties, stagger your tenancy start dates so rent reviews don't all cluster in the same month. This smooths your cash flow and spreads your administrative workload.

What to prepare now

1. Set up a rent review calendar. For every tenancy, record: start date, current rent, date of last increase, and earliest date for next increase (start date + 12 months or last increase + 12 months).
2. Gather comparable evidence. Start collecting screenshots of asking rents for similar properties in your area. This is your defence if a tenant challenges at tribunal.
3. Update your processes. Remove any automatic rent review clauses from your standard tenancy agreement templates. Replace with a simple statement that rent will be reviewed in accordance with Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988.
4. Consider your pricing strategy. Since increases are limited to once per year and can be challenged, your initial asking rent matters more than ever. Price accurately at the start — you can't easily correct a below-market rent for 12 months.

For help calculating your next valid rent increase date and notice requirements, try the free Rent Increase Calculator.

For the full list of compliance requirements across all Phase 1 areas, see the landlord compliance checklist. For all Phase 1, 2, and 3 deadlines, see the key dates timeline or use the RRA Deadline Tracker.

This guide applies to assured tenancies in England only. It does not constitute legal advice. For specific questions about rent increases or tribunal proceedings, consult a solicitor or the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).

Information is current as of the date shown above. We will update this guide when Form 4A is published on GOV.UK.

Sources

• Renters' Rights Act 2025, Section 6 (rent increases) — legislation.gov.uk
• Housing Act 1988, Section 13 (rent increases for assured tenancies) — legislation.gov.uk
• Assured tenancy forms — GOV.UK
• First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) — GOV.UK
• Renting is Changing — GOV.UK campaign