Since 1 May 2026 there has been one route for raising the rent on most private tenancies in England. Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, a rent review clause in the tenancy agreement no longer does the job, and an increase agreed in conversation is not enough on its own. Every increase now goes through section 13 of the Housing Act 1988.
Step 1: check the timing
Rent can go up no more than once a year, and not in the first year of a tenancy. In most cases the first increase can take effect no earlier than 52 weeks after the first period of the tenancy began, and each later increase no earlier than 52 weeks after the previous one took effect. The gap still applies where the last increase took effect before 1 May 2026, including one made under a rent review clause. The government's own example: if the rent went up on 1 February 2026, the next increase cannot take effect until 1 February 2027.
Increases agreed before 1 May 2026 that were due to take effect after that date, for example under a review clause, do not apply. Notices already served on the old Form 4 before 1 May 2026 still stand, with the figure and notice period they set out.
Step 2: decide the figure
The benchmark that matters is the open market rent: in the government's words, the rent you would expect to receive if you relet the property on the open market. If the tenant thinks your proposal is above that, they can ask the First-tier Tribunal to decide. Guidance encourages landlords to discuss an increase with the tenant first, and a figure backed by comparable local lettings is easier to stand behind.
Step 3: serve Form 4A
The notice must be in the prescribed form, Form 4A: Landlord's notice proposing a new rent, published on GOV.UK with its own guidance notes. Give it to the tenant at least two months before the new rent is due to start, in person, by post, or by email if the tenancy agreement allows it. The new rent must begin at the start of a period of the tenancy, so for a monthly tenancy that runs from the 1st, the start date should be the 1st of a month.
GOV.UK is clear that this applies every time the rent rises, even where the tenant has already agreed.
Step 4: the tenant responds
The tenant can accept and pay the new rent from the date in the notice, agree a different figure with you, or apply to the First-tier Tribunal before the new rent is due to start.
Step 5: if it goes to the tribunal
The tribunal decides what the property might reasonably be expected to let for on the open market, under an assured tenancy on the same terms. Since 1 May 2026 three rules apply:
- The tribunal cannot set a rent higher than the one in your notice. If it finds the market rent is lower, the lower figure applies.
- The new rent takes effect from the date in your notice or, if that date has already passed, from the start of the first period of the tenancy on or after the tribunal's decision. It cannot be backdated to before the decision.
- If that would cause the tenant undue hardship, the tribunal can direct a later date, up to two months after its decision.
An ambitious figure therefore carries little upside, and can mean waiting for a decision before any increase is paid. Pitching the rent at a level the evidence supports is the sensible approach.
New tenancies
Within the first six months of an assured tenancy, a tenant can also ask the tribunal to look at the starting rent. Here too the tribunal can only reduce the rent to the open market level, not increase it.
Common mistakes
- Relying on a rent review clause in the tenancy agreement.
- Using the old Form 4, or a letter, for a new increase.
- Counting the year from the wrong date, or giving less than two months' notice.
- Choosing a start date part way through a rent period.
These rules apply in England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own systems.
Where we fit
With our property management service, we keep track of review dates, look at the local evidence, serve the notice correctly and keep a record of each step. With guaranteed rent, you receive an agreed sum every month instead. For a view on what your property should achieve, use our rent calculator and a property manager will come back to you, or read our Renters' Rights Act guide for the wider changes.
Sources: GOV.UK, Renting out your property: rent increases; GOV.UK, Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for landlords, rent increases; GOV.UK, Assured tenancy forms; GOV.UK, Renters' Rights Act overview for tenants; legislation.gov.uk, Housing Act 1988, section 13; legislation.gov.uk, Housing Act 1988, section 14; legislation.gov.uk, Housing Act 1988, section 14ZA; legislation.gov.uk, Housing Act 1988, section 14ZB.
