Skip to content

Free preparation worksheet

Form 4A preparation worksheet

A free Word worksheet to gather the details you'll transfer into the official GOV.UK Form 4A (Section 13(2) Housing Act 1988, as amended by Renters' Rights Act 2025 s.6). Field-gathering only — this is not the prescribed form.

Do not serve this document on a tenant.

The official prescribed Form 4A is published by GOV.UK and only that wording is legally valid. Use this worksheet to prepare the details (parties, rent, dates, evidence) you will then transfer into the current GOV.UK form when you serve. Tribunal applications can be rejected on form-defect grounds.

The usable prescribed Form 4A is now live on GOV.UK. Open it before completing or serving any rent-increase notice — verify the wording on the GOV.UK form against the most current publication.

Open the official GOV.UK Form 4A ↗Download preparation worksheet (.docx)

What this worksheet does

It's a one-page Word file with the fields the GOV.UK Form 4A asks for: tenant + landlord names, property address, current rent, proposed rent, % increase, intended effective date, intended service date, and market-rent evidence. Fill it in, then transfer the values into the official GOV.UK form when you serve.

It does not contain the prescribed legal wording of the notice itself. That wording belongs on the GOV.UK form and changes when GOV.UK updates the form — we don't track those changes here.

Key Section 13 rules

  • Rent can be increased no more than once in every 52-week period (HA 1988 s.13(2)(b)(ii), as amended by RRA 2025 s.6).
  • Notice period is at least two months before the new rent takes effect.
  • The proposed rent must be at or below the open market rent. The First-tier Tribunal can substitute its own assessment if the tenant challenges (HA 1988 s.14 / s.14ZA).
  • Use the same wording GOV.UK publishes — Tribunal applications can be rejected on form-defect grounds.

Confirm your dates first

Before completing the worksheet, run our free Rent Increase Calculator — it returns the earliest valid notice date and the earliest effective date for your tenancy under HA 1988 s.13(2)(b)(ii). Use those values when you complete the GOV.UK Form 4A.

Disclaimer: this worksheet is a preparation aid only. It is not the prescribed Form 4A and must not be served. Always complete and serve the current GOV.UK-published Form 4A. Not legal advice — for complex disputes, consult a qualified housing solicitor.