By the end of this guide you will have drafted and sent a Section 13 notice on Form 4A from MarketRent: statutory dates checked before it goes out, every named tenant sent their own copy, and the notice preserved in your audit trail. Serving it validly means using a method the rules allow, which the final step covers.

Since 1 May 2026, a Section 13 notice on prescribed Form 4A is the only way to increase the rent on a private assured tenancy in England. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 amended section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 and kept it as the single statutory route.[1][6][7] A letter will not do.[3] MarketRent drafts the notice inside the rent review, fills it from your tenancy data and company settings, and blocks invalid dates before anything is served.

Before you start, know the three date conditions. All three must hold, and Form 4A's own notes spell them out:[1][2]

  • at least two months between service of the notice and the new rent's start date;
  • at least 52 weeks since the tenancy's first period began, or since the last increase took effect (53 weeks in some years). This anti-drift rule stops the date creeping earlier;
  • the new rent must start on the first day of a rent period, so a monthly tenancy paid from the 20th needs a start date on the 20th.

  1. Open the review and check the landlord's instruction

    Serving the notice comes near the end of MarketRent's review flow, once the landlord has responded to your proposal. Open the review from the Rent Reviews tab and confirm the instructed rent before drafting anything.

  2. Verify the dates behind the statutory checks

    On the tenancy details screen, check the tenancy start date, the first rent increase date, and the current rent and payment frequency. MarketRent treats the tenancy start date as the tenant's original move-in date, not the latest renewal. These fields anchor the 52-week rule and the rent-period start date.[1]

  3. Confirm every tenant is on the review

    Each tenant is named on the drafted notice and sent their own copy, so every tenant must be on the review before you serve. Joint tenants, say Jane Sample and Robert Sample, each need their own entry with their own email address.

  4. Enter the new rent and start date

    Enter the instructed rent and the proposed start date. MarketRent enforces the statutory constraints and blocks invalid dates: it checks the 52-week rule, the rent-period start date, and that at least two months' notice is given.[1][2]

  5. Preview what the tenant will see

    Use a demo link to preview the notice and the tenant view before sending. The agency details populate from your company address settings, so fix any error in Settings, not on the document.

  6. Send the notice

    MarketRent emails the drafted notice to every tenant on the review. Form 4A expressly allows electronic completion and signature.[2] Once sent, the document cannot be edited. Re-issuing creates a new document, which keeps your audit trail intact.

  7. Keep evidence of service and track the response

    Keep proof that the notice was served. Form 4A's guidance is to use a service method specified in the tenancy agreement if there is one, or to hand it to the tenant, leave it at the address, or send it by registered post.[2] The tenant can then accept, agree a lower or deferred figure with you in writing, or refer the rent to the First-tier Tribunal. The tribunal must receive the application before the start date on the notice (£47 fee).[1][4]

Good to know

  • Use the right form. Form 4 still exists, but since 1 May 2026 it is for the social sector only. Using it on a private tenancy leaves the notice open to referral.[2][3]
  • The tribunal cannot set a rent above the figure on your notice, and an increase is never backdated after a challenge. The old rent stays payable until the decision.[5][2] Clean dates and a defensible figure protect the timeline.
  • Once a year means once every 52 weeks. Question 4.3 on the form records the most recent increase that anchors that calculation, which is why the first rent increase date matters in step 2.[2]

For the legal background, start with What is a Section 13 notice? or the complete rent reviews guide. And before you serve, make sure the evidence pack is ready. See how to add PIPR indexation, or get a quick indexed reference point on any property from the Free Rent Indexation Tool.

That is the end of the setup path. Browse all guides.

This article is general information for letting agents in England, not legal advice.

Sources

  1. Housing Act 1988, section 13 (as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025)
  2. Form 4A: landlord's notice proposing a new rent for assured tenancies in the private rented sector (GOV.UK)
  3. GOV.UK, Assured tenancy forms
  4. GOV.UK, Apply for an open market rent determination
  5. Renters' Rights Act 2025, section 7
  6. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 2 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/421)
  7. GOV.UK, Guide to the Renters' Rights Act