Form 4A explained: what your landlord's rent increase notice means
If your landlord wants to raise your rent and you have not agreed to it, they have to give you a notice called Form 4A. This guide explains what the form is, what each part means and what you can do once you have one. It covers private renters in England only.
Got a Form 4A in front of you? The free checker walks through it question by question and tells you whether it follows the rules, with the law cited.
What Form 4A is
Form 4A is the notice a private landlord uses to propose a new rent under section 13 of the Housing Act 1988. Its full title is "Landlord's notice proposing a new rent for assured tenancies in the private rented sector". The government prescribed it in The Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Prescribed Forms and Transitional Provisions) (England) Regulations 2026, which came into force on 1 May 2026, the same day the main tenancy changes in the Renters' Rights Act 2025 started for private renters.
The regulations allow Form 4A "or a form substantially to the like effect". In practice most landlords download the form from GOV.UK and fill it in. The current version has "(05.26)" in the footer and nine pages.
The form says at the top: "For use in the private rented sector in England only. For tenancies in the social rented sector, use Form 4." If you rent from a housing association, a different form and slightly different rules apply.
Why it matters
Since 1 May 2026 a private landlord cannot raise the rent through a clause in your tenancy agreement. Section 13(4A) of the Housing Act 1988 says the rent cannot go up except through a section 13 notice, a tribunal decision or an agreement following one of those, and a clause that says otherwise "is of no effect". So Form 4A is the only way for a landlord to raise the rent without your agreement.
That also means the form has to be right. A notice that breaks the rules does not change your rent.
The form, section by section
Page 1: the information for you
The first page says the notice "must be served on the tenant(s) at least two months before the new rent can start" and that "To challenge the proposed rent you must take action before the date given in question 4.6." That date is the most important thing on the form.
A note to the landlord on the same page explains how to serve it: use a method agreed in the written tenancy agreement, or otherwise hand it to you in person, leave it at your address or send it by registered post. GOV.UK's guide for tenants says email is fine only if your tenancy agreement allows it.
Section 1: your details
Question 1.1 is the name of every tenant and 1.2 is the address of your home. GOV.UK says a valid notice must "include your correct details, such as your name and address". If it names the wrong person or the wrong home, raise it with an adviser.
Sections 2 and 3: the landlord and any agent
Section 2 gives the landlord's name, a contact address and, optionally, a phone number and email. If the landlord gives an email address, the form says they agree that you and the tribunal can use it to send documents to them. Section 3 is the same for a letting agent, if there is one.
Section 4: the rent
| Question | What it asks | What to look at |
|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | Current rent and how often you pay it | The rent period has to be a month or less. |
| 4.2 | The date the tenancy started | The first increase cannot start until 52 weeks after this date. |
| 4.3 | The date of the most recent rent increase | Blank if there has not been one. The next increase has to be at least 52 weeks after it. |
| 4.4 | The date of the first rent increase after 11 February 2003 | Decides whether 52 or 53 weeks apply. |
| 4.5 | The proposed new rent and how often | The tribunal cannot make you pay more than this. |
| 4.6 | The date the new rent will start | Your deadline: the tribunal has to receive any challenge before this date. |
| 4.7 | Charges included in the rent, such as council tax or water | Shows the existing and proposed amounts for each charge. |
Signature
The landlord or their agent signs and dates the form. Joint landlords either all sign or agree that one signs for all of them. GOV.UK says a valid notice must be "on the correct form and signed by the landlord".
Section 5: what you should do next
Section 5 is written for you. If you accept the new rent, it tells you to update your standing order and to report the change to Universal Credit or Housing Benefit if you claim them. If you do not accept it, it says the new rent will start on the date at 4.6 unless you either agree a change with your landlord in writing or refer the rent to the tribunal. It adds: "The tribunal must receive the application before the start date your landlord has given in question 4.6."
It also explains the protection that matters most: the tribunal decides the open market rent, but "you will not be required to pay more than the rent the landlord first proposed in question 4.5. You do not have to pay the new rent amount until the tribunal has made its decision."
Note A: when the new rent can start
Note A lists three requirements from section 13(2):
- Two months. "In all cases, this notice must be served at least two months before the new rent can start."
- 52 weeks. The first increase cannot start until 52 weeks after the tenancy began, and in most cases any further increase has to be at least 52 weeks after the previous one. Where that would put the date more than six days before the anniversary of the date at question 4.4, the landlord has to wait 53 weeks.
- The start of a period. "In all cases, the new rent must start at the beginning of a tenancy period." The form's own example: if a monthly tenancy started on 20 April, the new rent has to start on the 20th of a month.
Note B: charges in the rent
Note B tells landlords to list only charges that are included in the rent, and to leave out variable service charges.
What to do when you get a Form 4A
- Write down the date you got it and how. Keep the envelope or the email. The two months count from when the notice was served.
- Check it against the rules. Use the checker or read Is my rent increase notice valid? and the Form 4A examples.
- Look at the new rent. Compare it with what similar homes nearby let for. See What the tribunal looks at.
- Decide before the date at 4.6. Accept, negotiate in writing or apply to the tribunal. Read Should I challenge?
- Keep paying your current rent in full and on time while you decide.
Common problems with Form 4A notices
- The start date is less than two months after you got the notice.
- The start date is not the first day of a rent period, for example the 1st of the month when your periods run from the 15th.
- The increase starts less than 52 weeks after your tenancy began or after your last increase.
- The landlord used an old form or a letter instead of Form 4A.
- The notice is not signed, or names the wrong tenant or address.
- It was sent by text or by email when your tenancy agreement does not allow that.
Not every mistake makes a notice invalid, and Shelter says a tenant should get legal advice before treating a notice as invalid. If you think something is wrong, talk to Shelter, Citizens Advice or a law centre.
Notices from before 1 May 2026
If your landlord served an old Form 4 before 1 May 2026, the old rules can still apply to it, including the old notice period. GOV.UK's tenants' guide says "If they used form 4, the notice period and rent increase stated in the form will still apply, even if the new rent starts after 1 May 2026." Ask an adviser how that applies to you.
Questions people ask
What is Form 4A?
Form 4A is the prescribed form a private landlord in England uses to propose a new rent for an assured tenancy under section 13 of the Housing Act 1988. Its full title is "Landlord's notice proposing a new rent for assured tenancies in the private rented sector". It has been in use since 1 May 2026.
Is a rent increase letter without Form 4A valid?
The law requires Form 4A or a form substantially to the like effect. A short letter or email that only states a new rent leaves out most of what the form contains, so it is unlikely to count. Get advice from Shelter or Citizens Advice before you rely on that.
How much notice does Form 4A have to give?
At least two months. The new rent cannot start earlier than two calendar months after the notice was served (section 13(2)(a)).
What is question 4.4 on Form 4A for?
It asks for the date of the first rent increase after 11 February 2003. That date decides whether the landlord has to wait 52 or 53 weeks after the last increase before the next one can start.
Do I have to reply to Form 4A?
You do not have to reply. If you do nothing, the new rent starts on the date at question 4.6. If you disagree, you have to apply to the tribunal before that date or agree something different with your landlord in writing.