Section 13 notice checklist

1. Before you start

• The tenancy qualifies. A private assured tenancy in England. Every private assured tenancy has been periodic since 1 May 2026, and a Section 13 notice on Form 4A is the only lawful route to an increase: a letter, an email, or a rent review clause has no effect.
• 52 weeks are clear. The proposed start date is at least 52 weeks after the tenancy's first period began, or after the last increase took effect. No increase at all within the tenancy's first 52 weeks.
• The anti-drift rule is checked. If the start date would fall more than 6 days before the anniversary of the reference date in question 4.4, wait an extra week: 53 in total.
• Room-by-room lets are separated. Section 13 works per tenancy, so in an HMO let room by room each assured tenancy needs its own Form 4A.

Full detail: How often can a landlord increase rent? and Section 13 for HMO room rents

2. Prepare the case

• The tenancy record is confirmed. Current rent and payment frequency, the tenancy start date and the dates of previous increases, taken from records rather than memory. These feed questions 4.1 to 4.4 of the form.
• The proposed rent is defensible. There is no fixed cap or percentage limit; the legal benchmark is the open market rent, and the tenant can refer the figure to the First-tier Tribunal.
• The evidence is assembled. Recent lettings of similar nearby properties first, context from the ONS Price Index of Private Rents second, plus condition and EPC notes for this property.
• The reasoning is written down. A short note on which comparables you relied on and how they support the figure. Written down clearly, it is what stops a referral getting off the ground; if one comes anyway, it is the case you produce.

Full detail: What evidence supports a rent increase? and How much can a landlord increase rent?

3. The notice

• It is the current Form 4A. Version 05.26, free to download from GOV.UK's assured tenancy forms page. Not Form 4, which is for social housing only, not an old edition, not a letter.
• Every field is complete. All tenant names, the property address, landlord details, the agent section where you are acting, the current rent and date history, the proposed rent and start date, and the included-charges table, with nil entered where nothing applies.
• The start date passes both date tests. At least two months after the date of service, and on the first day of a rent period: on a monthly tenancy that began on the 20th, the new rent starts on a 20th.
• It is signed and dated. By the landlord or the agent, electronically or by hand, with the right box ticked. Joint landlords each sign, or one signs on behalf of all.

Full detail: Form 4A: where to get it and how to complete it and How much notice for a rent increase?

4. After service

• Proof of service is filed. Serve by a method the tenancy agreement specifies, or hand the notice to the tenant, leave it at the tenant's address, or send it by registered post, and record how and when. The two-month clock runs from the date of service.
• The start date is in the diary. If the tenant does not refer the notice and nothing different is agreed in writing, the new rent applies from that date automatically.
• You know the referral rules. The tenant can refer the rent to the First-tier Tribunal for a £47 fee, with the application received before the start date. The Tribunal determines the open market rent, never above your figure, the old rent stays payable until the decision, and the increase is not backdated.
• The record is updated. Log the outcome and the date the increase took effect: that date anchors the next 52-week window.

Full detail: Ways to serve a Section 13 notice and What happens if a tenant challenges a rent increase at tribunal?

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