How do I increase the rent under the Renters' Rights Act as a landlord?

Since 1 May 2026 you must use Form 4A, the section 13 notice, served at least 2 months ahead. Rent can rise once a year, not in the first year, and your tenant can challenge it at a tribunal.

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 changed private renting in England on 1 May 2026. Tenancies are now periodic, fixed terms have gone, and rent review clauses no longer work. The only way to raise the rent is the section 13 process in the Housing Act 1988, using the official Form 4A. This page is general information about assured periodic tenancies in England. For your own case, check GOV.UK or get help from a solicitor or housing adviser.

The rules at a glance

Form 4A is for private tenancies in England only. Form 4 is for social housing, so do not use it for a private let.

How much you can ask for

GOV.UK's test is the open market rent: the rent you could expect if you relet the property on the open market on the same terms. If your tenant thinks your figure is above that, they can refer it to the tribunal before the start date on the notice.

Form 4A tells tenants what happens next. The tribunal decides the market rent and can take the condition of the property into account. Its figure might be higher or lower than yours, but the tenant will not pay more than you proposed. The tenant does not have to pay the new rent until the tribunal has decided. Under section 14ZB of the Housing Act 1988, the new rent starts on the date in your notice if the decision comes on or before that date. If the decision comes later, it starts with the first rent period beginning on or after the decision, so it is not backdated. The tribunal can set a later date, within 2 months of its decision, if the usual date would cause the tenant undue hardship. The government has said the Valuation Office will take over these decisions in future, with no date set yet.

What this means for you

Take a monthly tenancy that began on 20 June 2026. The first increase cannot start until 52 weeks have passed, and it must start on the 20th, so the earliest date is 20 June 2027. If you hand Form 4A to your tenant on 1 April 2027, that gives more than 2 months' notice for 20 June 2027.

Tenancies that began before 1 May 2026 follow the same yearly rule. GOV.UK's example: if the last increase took effect on 1 February 2026, the next one cannot take effect until 1 February 2027. An increase agreed under a rent review clause before 1 May 2026, but due to start later, will not apply.

A higher rent also raises your qualifying income for Making Tax Digital, which counts rent before expenses. The free MTD check shows whether that changes your start date.

Steps to increase the rent

1. Check the dates: 52 weeks since the tenancy began or since the last increase took effect (53 in the cases Note A sets out), and a new-rent date that falls at the start of a rent period.
2. Talk to your tenant first. GOV.UK suggests discussing the increase so it works for both of you.
3. Look at similar properties nearby so your figure is close to the open market rent.
4. Download the current Form 4A (version 05.26) from GOV.UK. Fill in the tenant's names, the address, your contact details, the current and proposed rent, the tenancy start date and any earlier increase dates.
5. List any council tax, water, energy, communication or fixed service charges included in the rent.
6. Sign it, by hand or electronically. Joint landlords each sign, or agree that one signs for all.
7. Serve it at least 2 months before the start date, by a method your tenancy agreement allows. If it names none, hand it over, leave it at the tenant's address or use registered post. Keep proof of how and when.
8. If your tenant refers it to the tribunal, wait for the decision before charging the new rent.

The landlord section has more guides on the new rules for private landlords in England.