What a Compliant Section 13 Rent Increase Notice Must Include (England, 2026)

A reliable Section 13 template is now the only lawful way for most England landlords to raise the rent, and using the right one matters more than ever since the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026. Rent-review clauses are banned, informal “your rent is going up” letters carry no legal weight, and the only mechanism the law recognises is a notice served under Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 on the current prescribed form published on GOV.UK. Get the figures, dates or wording wrong and the increase is simply void, the tenant carries on paying the old rent and you have to start again.

This guide explains exactly what a compliant Section 13 notice must contain in 2026, gives you a fill-in-the-blanks template you can adapt, walks through a worked example with real dates, and flags the mistakes that quietly invalidate thousands of increases every year.

What a Section 13 template must contain in 2026

A Section 13 template is a structured version of the statutory notice that proposes a new rent for a periodic assured tenancy and tells the tenant when it takes effect and how to challenge it. Because all assured tenancies in England are now periodic, fixed terms were abolished alongside Section 21, Section 13 applies to essentially every let. There is no longer any such thing as raising rent “at renewal”, because there is no renewal.

The notice you serve must replicate the current prescribed form on GOV.UK. The Government updates this form periodically, and the law requires you to use the version in force on the date you serve it. For that reason a good template is one you keep current rather than a PDF you downloaded years ago. Whatever wording you use, the document must clearly set out:

• The full names of the landlord(s) and tenant(s) and the address of the property.
• The current rent and the proposed new rent, both as clear figures with the payment frequency.
• The date the new rent takes effect, the “effective date”.
• A statement that the tenant may refer the notice to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) before the effective date if they think the proposed rent is above market level.
• The landlord’s signature and the date of service.

Under the Renters’ Rights Act there are three hard rules that sit on top of the form itself, and your template should be built around all three:

1. Once every 12 months. You can serve only one Section 13 notice in any 12-month period. The new rent cannot take effect sooner than 12 months after the last increase (or the start of the tenancy).
2. At least two months’ notice. The effective date must be a minimum of two months after the day you serve the notice.
3. The tribunal can never raise the rent above your proposed figure. If the tenant challenges, the First-tier Tribunal will set the rent at the open-market level or your proposed figure, whichever is lower. It can no longer be backdated, and it can no longer come out higher than what you asked for.

Section 13 template (copy and adapt)

The block below is a plain-text template that mirrors the structure of the prescribed form. Use it to gather and check your details, then transfer them onto the current prescribed form on GOV.UK, that official form is the document you actually serve.

Notice proposing a new rent under Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988

To: [Tenant full name(s)] Address of premises: [Property address, including postcode]

From: [Landlord full name(s)] Landlord address for service: [Address / email if agreed]

1. This notice proposes a new rent for the assured periodic tenancy of the above premises.
2. The existing rent is £[amount] per [week / month].
3. The proposed new rent will be £[amount] per [week / month].
4. The proposed new rent will take effect from [effective date].
5. If you do not accept the proposed new rent, you have the right to refer this notice to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) before the date in paragraph 4. If you do not refer it, the new rent will apply from that date.

Signed: [Landlord / agent signature] Name: [Print name] Date of service: [Date]

Treat this as a working draft, not the final notice. The prescribed form contains additional statutory notes for the tenant that must appear verbatim, which is why you should always start from the live GOV.UK version. For a fuller breakdown of why each line matters, see our guide to the 2026 Section 13 rules.

When a letter will do and when only Section 13 works

Landlords often ask whether they can just write to the tenant. The answer depends on whether the tenant agrees.

If you and the tenant simply agree a figure, a short written confirmation is enough and you do not need Section 13 at all. The moment the tenant does not agree, Section 13 becomes the only lawful route. For a side-by-side of the two, read rent increase letter vs Section 13 notice.

Worked example: serving a Section 13 increase

Priya lets a two-bedroom flat in Reading. The rent is £1,200 a month, last increased on 1 March 2025. She wants to raise it to £1,320 a month, a 10% increase she can support with three comparable local listings.

Step 1, Check the 12-month rule. The last increase took effect on 1 March 2025. The earliest a new increase can take effect is 1 March 2026. It is now June 2026, so she is clear.

Step 2, Choose a defensible figure. Priya gathers three comparable lettings at £1,300–£1,360. Her £1,320 sits comfortably within market range, so if the tenant challenges it, the tribunal is unlikely to set it lower. (Remember: the tribunal cannot set it higher than £1,320 either.)

Step 3, Count the notice period. She serves the notice on 20 June 2026. The effective date must be at least two months later and must align with the start of a rental period. Her rent period begins on the 1st, so she sets the effective date as 1 September 2026, comfortably more than two months ahead.

Step 4, Use the live form. She transfers her details onto the current prescribed form on GOV.UK, signs it, and serves it on 20 June, keeping a dated copy and proof of delivery.

Step 5, Outcome. The tenant does not refer it to the tribunal before 1 September, so the rent lawfully rises to £1,320 from that date. Had Priya picked an effective date of, say, 1 August (under two months away) or proposed a figure she could not evidence, she would have risked the whole notice being void. You can model the dates and figures for your own let with our free Section 13 rent increase calculator.

The mistakes that void a Section 13 notice

The increase fails far more often on procedure than on the amount. The most common errors are:

• Wrong or short effective date. Less than two months ahead, or a date that does not line up with the beginning of a period of the tenancy.
• More than one notice in 12 months. Serving a second Section 13 inside the 12-month window simply has no effect.
• Using an out-of-date form. A superseded version of the prescribed form can be rejected outright.
• Vague figures. “An increase of around 10%” is not a proposed rent; you must state an exact pound figure and frequency.
• Relying on a rent-review clause. These are now banned, so any attempt to increase rent “under clause X” of the agreement is unenforceable.
• Poor proof of service. If the tenant denies receiving it, you need evidence of when and how it was served.

A single slip resets the clock and can cost you months of lost increase. Our breakdown of the errors that void a Section 13 rent rise goes through each in detail, and the rent increase compliance checklist gives you a pre-send sign-off.

How the tribunal challenge works now

If the tenant thinks your proposed rent is above market level, they can refer the notice to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) before the effective date. Two things changed under the Renters’ Rights Act that work in tenants’ favour and shape how you should set your figure:

• No increase above your proposed rent. The tribunal determines the open-market rent but caps its decision at your proposed figure. If the market rent is genuinely £1,400 but you asked for £1,320, the most the tenant will pay is £1,320.
• No backdating. The new rent applies from the date the tribunal directs (no earlier than the effective date in your notice), not retrospectively.

The practical lesson is to propose a figure you can evidence with comparables and pitch it at, or sensibly below, market. There is no upside to over-asking, because the tribunal cannot reward you for it, and an unrealistic figure simply invites a challenge. For the full legal walkthrough, see how to increase rent legally in England step by step, and to sanity-check your headline number use the rent increase calculator and 2026 rules.

Frequently asked questions

How often can I use a Section 13 template to raise the rent? Once every 12 months. You can serve only one Section 13 notice in any 12-month period, and the new rent cannot take effect less than 12 months after the previous increase or the start of the tenancy.

Can I write my own Section 13 notice instead of using the GOV.UK form? Your notice must contain everything the prescribed form requires, including the statutory notes to the tenant. The safest approach is always to use the current prescribed form on GOV.UK and use any template only to prepare and check your details first.

What notice period do I have to give? At least two months. The effective date on the notice must be a minimum of two months after the date of service, and it should align with the start of a rental period.

Can the tribunal increase my rent beyond what I proposed? No. Since the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, the First-tier Tribunal can set the rent at the open-market level or your proposed figure, whichever is lower, never higher. The decision is also no longer backdated.

Are rent-review clauses still valid? No. Rent-review clauses in tenancy agreements are banned. Any attempt to increase rent under such a clause is unenforceable; Section 13 (or mutual written agreement) is the only route.

What happens if my Section 13 notice is invalid? The increase simply does not take effect, the tenant keeps paying the old rent. You must wait and serve a fresh, correct notice, which can delay your increase by months, so getting the form, dates and figure right the first time is essential.

Coming soon

Tenancy Pilot is launching soon, and our rent collection and document generator tools are built to take the risk out of rent increases: produce a correctly dated notice from the current prescribed wording, check the 12-month and two-month rules automatically, and store proof of service alongside the rest of your tenancy records. If that sounds useful, join the waitlist to be first in when we open the doors.

Disclaimer: This article is general information for England landlords and is not legal advice. The law changes and individual circumstances differ. Always check the current rules and prescribed forms on GOV.UK and the underlying legislation on legislation.gov.uk, and consult a qualified solicitor before serving notices or acting on anything in this guide.