Skip to content
LandlordBuddy
← Market insightsLANDLORD BUDDY MARKET INSIGHT

Rent increases after 1 May 2026: Form 4A, two months’ notice and the annual limit

The new section 13 process is easy to summarise but easy to mistime. Here are the three dates landlords need to get right.

For a normal assured periodic tenancy in England, landlords now use the section 13 process if they want to increase the rent.

The three core rules

  • The rent cannot normally be increased in the first year of the tenancy.
  • It can normally only be increased once a year.
  • The landlord must use Form 4A and give at least two months’ notice before the new rent starts.

Why records matter

A rent-review workflow needs more than a button that creates a form. The system needs the tenancy start date, last effective increase, proposed effective date and evidence of service. Landlord Buddy keeps those dates together and retains the evidence pack with the tenancy.

Read the official rent-increase guidance on GOV.UK

Source: Official GOV.UK guidance. Last reviewed 2 September 2026.