The same way as any private landlord in England: since 1 May 2026, Form 4A is the only route, served at least 2 months ahead, even if your tenant agrees. Your old agreement's rent review clause no longer works.
An accidental landlord lets a home they never planned to let: a former home, an inherited house, or a place that would not sell. It may be a single property, perhaps run through a letting agent and, if there is a mortgage, let with the lender's permission. The rent rules are the same as for every private landlord, and the general guide to rent increases covers them in full. This page picks out the points that catch people in your position. It is general information for private tenancies in England, following GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk as checked on 19 October 2026.
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Your old paperwork has changed
If your tenant moved in on an assured shorthold tenancy, it became an assured periodic tenancy automatically on 1 May 2026, and any end date stopped applying. GOV.UK says you did not need to do anything for that change to take effect. What did change is how the rent moves. Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 now allows a rise only through the Form 4A process, and a term in the agreement that says otherwise, such as a rent review clause, has no effect.
| What you might assume | What applies now |
|---|---|
| The agreement says the rent goes up each year | The rent review clause no longer takes effect; use Form 4A |
| My tenant has agreed, so a letter will do | Form 4A is still needed every time |
| The fixed term is ending, so I will renew at a new rent | Fixed terms have gone; the tenancy rolls on and the rent changes by Form 4A |
| I have not raised the rent in years | Once the tenancy is 52 weeks old, the new rent can start at the beginning of a rent period at least 2 months after you serve Form 4A |
| The rent went up under the review clause before May 2026 | That counts as the last increase; the next one cannot start until 52 weeks after it (53 in the cases Note A sets out) |
| My agent deals with it | Your agent can complete and sign Form 4A, but the figure and dates are yours to check |
| I let a room in the home I live in | Usually not an assured periodic tenancy, so Form 4A usually does not apply |
If a letting agent manages the property
Form 4A has a section for an agent's details and a signature box marked for the landlord's agent, so your agent can prepare and sign it. Before it goes out, check three things: that it is Form 4A version 05.26, not Form 4, which is for social housing; that the new rent is in line with the open market rent, which is what a tribunal works out if your tenant challenges it, without going above your figure; and that the start date is the first day of a rent period at least 2 months after service.
Your lender, and moving back in
GOV.UK says that if you have a mortgage on the property you want to rent out, you must get permission from your mortgage lender. If you were given consent to let, reread the letter for any conditions before you change the tenancy. We cannot tell you what yours says.
If you plan to move back in, a rent rise is not the way to do it. Moving back in yourself, or moving in certain close family members, uses ground 1 in a section 8 notice. That needs at least 4 months' notice, and the date in the notice must be at least 12 months after the tenancy began. A Form 4A only proposes a new rent.
What this means for you
Take a hypothetical case. Priya let her former flat through an agent from 6 March 2024 on a 12-month assured shorthold tenancy at £1,650 a month, due on the 6th. The agreement said the rent would be reviewed each March, but it has never gone up. When the fixed term ended in March 2025 the tenancy rolled on month to month, and on 1 May 2026 it became an assured periodic tenancy and the review clause stopped working.
Priya wants £1,800 a month. The tenancy began more than 52 weeks ago and the rent has never been increased, so the limits are the 2 months' notice and the start of a rent period. If her agent hands Form 4A to the tenant on 20 October 2026, 2 months runs to 20 December 2026, and the next rent day is 6 January 2027. That is the earliest start date. The tenant can refer the figure to the tribunal before that date, and need not pay the new rent until the tribunal decides.
Now the tax side. If the new rent starts on 6 January 2027 and is paid on time, in the 2026-27 tax year (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027) Priya receives 9 payments of £1,650 and 3 of £1,800: £14,850 + £5,400 = £20,250 before expenses. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD) counts rent before expenses, and over £20,000 in 2026-27 means using MTD from 6 April 2028. Without the rise, 12 payments of £1,650 would be £19,800, under the line, and a delay or lower figure after a tribunal referral could also keep her under it. Her salary does not count. If she owned the flat jointly, only her share would count. The free MTD check shows where you stand.
Steps to raise the rent
- Find the tenancy agreement. Note the start date, the rent day, and any increases with the date each took effect.
- Set aside the rent review clause. An increase agreed under it before 1 May 2026 but due later will not apply.
- Talk to your tenant first, as GOV.UK suggests, and look at similar lets nearby to judge the open market rent.
- Reread your lender's consent to let for any conditions.
- Complete Form 4A (05.26), or have your agent do it, and check the rent and dates yourself.
- Serve it at least 2 months before the new rent starts, by a method the agreement sets out or, if it sets none, by hand or registered post, and keep proof.
- Add up the tax year's rent before expenses to see whether the rise changes your MTD date.
The landlord section has more guides for landlords letting a single home.
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Questions people ask
My tenancy agreement says the rent goes up every year. Does that still apply?
No. Rent review clauses no longer take effect in private tenancies in England. GOV.UK says an increase agreed under one before 1 May 2026 but due to start after that date will not apply. Use Form 4A instead.
Can my letting agent put the rent up for me?
Your agent can fill in Form 4A and sign it as your agent, because the form has a section for the agent's details and a signature box for the landlord's agent. Check the new rent and the start date before it goes out.
I want to move back in. Should I raise the rent instead of giving notice?
They are separate processes. A Form 4A only proposes a new rent. Taking the home back to live in uses ground 1 in a section 8 notice. That needs at least 4 months' notice, and the date in the notice must be at least 12 months after the tenancy began, though the notice itself can be served earlier.
I let a room in the home I live in. Do I need Form 4A?
Usually not. GOV.UK says a tenancy cannot be an assured periodic tenancy if you live in the property. In the law, that exclusion covers a letting in the building you have lived in as your only or main home since the letting began (in a purpose-built block of flats, only if you share the same flat). A lodger who shares your kitchen, bathroom or living room is likely to be an excluded occupier.
Does a rent rise change my tax?
It can. The extra rent is property income, taxed on your profit after expenses. Making Tax Digital counts rent before expenses, so a rise can take your 2026-27 total over £20,000, which means using MTD from 6 April 2028.
Sources
- Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for landlords (GOV.UK)
- Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for landlords, Rent increases (GOV.UK)
- Form 4A: Landlord's notice proposing a new rent for assured tenancies in the private rented sector (05.26)
- Housing Act 1988, section 13 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Repossessing your privately rented property after 1 May 2026 (GOV.UK)
- Housing Act 1988, section 8 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Housing Act 1988, Schedule 1 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Housing Act 1988, Schedule 2 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Rent a room in your home: your lodger's tenancy type (GOV.UK)
- Renting out your property: printable guide (GOV.UK)
- Find out if and when you need to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (GOV.UK)
- Work out your qualifying income for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (GOV.UK)
This is general information to help you understand the rules. It isn't tailored to your circumstances, so check your own position before acting on it.
Righto Landlord is a trading name of NJG Consultancy Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 16095900. Registered office: Jubilee House, East Beach, Lytham St Annes, FY8 5FT.
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