Form 4A Template Download: Where to Get It (and Is There a Word Version?)

If you're searching for a Form 4A template, you're landing here because rent increases on assured tenancies in England change on 1 May 2026 — and the prescribed notice form changes with them. Short answer: the usable Form 4A publishes on GOV.UK on 1 May 2026. A watermarked preview is already up (since 20 March 2026) on the assured-tenancy-forms page. Here's where to find it and what to do in the meantime.

Where to download Form 4A

The official download will live here: GOV.UK assured-tenancy-forms-for-privately-rented-properties-from-1-may-2026. Bookmark it. The page was published on 20 March 2026 with preview versions that cannot yet be used for service — the usable versions replace them on 1 May 2026 at Phase 1 commencement.

GOV.UK prescribed forms are typically published as PDFs under assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/.... Don't trust any third-party site claiming to offer "Form 4A" before the official publication — the enforcement standard is the GOV.UK-served file, and a notice on a non-prescribed form is liable to be challenged and set aside.

If you serve a rent-increase notice before 1 May 2026 with an effective date before 1 May 2026, use the existing Form 4 — still valid for the transitional period. Everything with an effective date from 1 May 2026 onwards must use Form 4A.

Is there a Word version?

The government usually publishes prescribed notice forms as PDF only. A Word version is not guaranteed. Two workable options if you need to complete Form 4A digitally:

1. PDF editor. Acrobat, Apple Preview, or any free PDF annotator lets you type into the GOV.UK PDF directly. This is what most letting agents do.
2. Use our calculator to compute the fields. The RentersActReady Rent Increase Calculator computes the earliest valid notice date, the earliest effective date, the 12-month minimum, and the 2-month notice period from your tenancy-start or last-increase date. Paste those into the GOV.UK PDF. The calculator updates with the published form on 1 May 2026.

Whatever tool you use, the substance has to match Form 4A — you can't re-create the layout on letterhead and hope it passes a tribunal.

Form 4 vs Form 4A — which applies?

When notice is served	Effective date	Form to use
Before 1 May 2026	Before 1 May 2026	Form 4 (still valid)
Before 1 May 2026	On or after 1 May 2026	Form 4A (once published)
From 1 May 2026	Any date	Form 4A only

The cross-over date is the effective date, not the serve date. A Form 4 served today with an effective date in July 2026 is not valid under the new regime; you'd need Form 4A served after the 1 May publication.

How to complete Form 4A step by step

A condensed version, covered in depth in the main Form 4A guide:

1. Check eligibility. The tenancy must be at least 12 months old. Fewer than 12 months since tenancy start or last increase = not eligible yet.
2. Decide the effective date. From 1 May 2026 this must be at least 2 months after the date of service (not the date of posting — allow for first-class transit time).
3. Complete the form. Names, addresses, current rent, proposed rent, effective date, signature. Keep a copy.
4. Serve the notice. First-class post or in person; a Section 48 address for service of notices on the landlord must already be in the tenancy agreement (LTA 1987 s.48(1) — "an address in England and Wales").
5. Hold the line. If the tenant refers the notice to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), the tribunal decides the rent. Build your comparables before you serve, not after.

For the full step-by-step plus the tribunal's approach to comparables, see the Form 4A deep guide and the Rent Increase Calculator.

Related guides

• Form 4A rent increase under the Renters' Rights Act — the full procedural guide
• Fair rent increase — what percentage is defensible — comparables + tribunal evidence
• RRA key dates and timeline — all three phases at a glance

Guidance only, not legal advice. Verify against legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK before relying on any rate or date.