Section 13 Rent Increases Explained: The 2026 Rules for England Landlords

A Section 13 rent increase is now the only lawful way to raise the rent on most tenancies in England without the tenant’s express agreement. Since the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026, every assured tenancy is periodic, fixed terms have gone, and rent-review clauses written into the agreement are unenforceable. That leaves the statutory procedure under section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 as the single prescribed route for imposing a higher rent.

If you are a landlord who used to bump the rent at the renewal point or under a clause in the contract, the rules have changed substantially, and getting the procedure even slightly wrong now means the increase simply does not take effect. This guide explains, in plain English, how a Section 13 rent increase works in 2026: what it is, how often you can use it, the notice period, the form you must serve, how to set a figure that survives a challenge, and exactly what happens at the First-tier Tribunal.

What is a Section 13 rent increase?

“Section 13” refers to section 13 of the Housing Act 1988. It is the statutory mechanism a landlord uses to propose a new rent on a periodic assured tenancy by serving a prescribed notice on the tenant. The notice states the new rent and the date from which the landlord wants it to start.

Before the Renters’ Rights Act, many landlords avoided Section 13 entirely. They either relied on a rent-review clause in the tenancy agreement, or simply agreed a new rent at the start of each fixed term when the contract “renewed”. Both of those routes are now closed:

• No fixed terms. All assured tenancies are periodic (rolling), so there is no contractual end date or “renewal” moment at which to negotiate a higher rent.
• No rent-review clauses. Any term that purports to set out a formula, schedule or automatic uplift for the rent is unenforceable. You cannot contract out of the Section 13 procedure.

The practical effect is that Section 13 is no longer a fallback, it is the default and, for most landlords, the only compliant method. You can still agree a rent change in writing with the tenant by genuine mutual consent (for example, the tenant signs to accept a new figure). But if you want to impose an increase the tenant has not agreed to, it must be done by a valid Section 13 notice.

Who does Section 13 apply to?

Section 13 applies to assured periodic tenancies, which from 1 May 2026 is the standard tenancy type for the private rented sector in England. It does not apply to genuinely excluded arrangements such as some lodger situations where the landlord is resident, or to social housing governed by separate rules. If you are unsure what kind of tenancy you have, our guide on what a periodic tenancy is sets out the new default in detail.

The 2026 rules at a glance

How often can you increase the rent?

A Section 13 rent increase can take effect once in any 12-month period. You cannot stack two increases inside a year, and you cannot use a Section 13 notice to “catch up” for a year you skipped by doubling the next rise.

This annual limit applies regardless of what the market is doing. If rents in your area jump sharply mid-year, you must still wait until the tenancy is eligible for its next increase. That makes forward planning important: a missed window can mean waiting another full year, so it pays to track the earliest lawful date for each tenancy rather than rely on memory.

The combined effect of the 2026 rules is simple to state but easy to trip over: one increase per year, two months’ notice, no backdating.

How much notice must you give?

You must give the tenant at least two months’ notice before the new rent takes effect. Two points matter here:

1. The clock runs from service, not from when you wrote the notice. Build in time for delivery, especially if you post it. If your tenancy agreement or the law deems service to take a number of days, count from the deemed date.
2. The effective date must align with the period of the tenancy. For a monthly periodic tenancy, the new rent should begin at the start of a rental period. For a weekly tenancy, at the start of a rental week.

Getting the dates wrong is the single most common reason a Section 13 notice fails. If the proposed start date is too soon, or does not fall at the beginning of a period, the notice can be invalid and you have to start the whole process again, losing months in the process.

Which form do you use?

You must use the current prescribed Section 13 form on GOV.UK. Do not draft your own letter, and do not reuse an old template you saved a few years ago. A notice that is not in the prescribed form, or that omits required information, is not a valid Section 13 notice and the tenant is under no obligation to pay the higher rent.

Always download the form directly from GOV.UK at the moment you serve it, because prescribed forms are updated from time to time and an out-of-date version can invalidate the notice. For the underlying law, the text of section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 is available on legislation.gov.uk.

An informal “we’re putting the rent up from next month” email or text message is not a Section 13 notice and creates no enforceable obligation on the tenant. If you want to understand when an informal letter can ever be enough, essentially only where the tenant freely agrees, see our guide on rent increase letters versus Section 13 notices. If you would rather start from a current, correctly laid-out document, our Section 13 rent increase template aligned to the prescribed form shows exactly what the notice should contain.

Setting a defensible figure

A Section 13 increase must propose a rent that reflects what a comparable property would let for on the open market. You are free to choose the figure you want, but if it sits well above market rent the tenant can challenge it, so the safest approach is to evidence your number before you serve.

Good evidence includes:

• Local comparables, similar properties currently advertised to let, or recently let, in the immediate area.
• Like-for-like specification, the same number of bedrooms, comparable condition, furnishings, parking, garden and energy efficiency.
• A clear paper trail, dated screenshots or listings captured close to the date you serve the notice, so you can show the tribunal the market as it stood.

If you want a structured way to arrive at and document a figure, our step-by-step guide to increasing rent legally in England walks through the whole process, and the rent increase compliance checklist helps you sanity-check the notice before you send it. To pressure-test a number quickly, try the free rent increase calculator built for England landlords.

Why over-asking backfires in 2026

Under the post-Renters’ Rights Act regime there is genuinely no upside to inflating your figure. The tribunal can confirm your number or set a lower one, it can never set it higher. So the worst outcome for a tenant who challenges is your proposed rent, and the best is something below it. An over-ambitious notice invites a challenge that can only ever cost you, never gain you anything. A defensible, market-based figure is far more likely to stick without dispute.

What if the tenant challenges the increase?

The tenant can refer a Section 13 notice to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) before the proposed increase date. The tribunal then decides the rent the property could reasonably be expected to command if let on the open market on the relevant date.

Two points are critical for landlords in 2026:

• The tribunal cannot set the rent higher than the figure you proposed. Under the Renters’ Rights Act, the tribunal can confirm your proposed rent or determine a lower one, it can no longer increase rent above what you asked for. This removed the old deterrent that used to discourage tenants from challenging (the risk of ending up worse off), and it means an over-ambitious notice can only ever be reduced.
• The increase is not backdated. Where the tribunal determines a new rent, that rent applies from the date set out in the process, not from some earlier point. You cannot recover a shortfall for the period the dispute was running by backdating the uplift.

If the tenant does nothing before the proposed date, the new rent simply takes effect as stated in your notice. If they refer it, you should be ready to present your comparable evidence to the tribunal.

For a fuller picture of how challenges and rejected notices play out, and the precise rule that the tribunal can never raise rent above your figure, see how much a landlord can increase rent in England.

A worked example

Priya owns a two-bedroom flat in Reading let on an assured periodic tenancy. The rent is £1,200 a month, last increased on 1 March 2025 by an earlier Section 13 notice. The rental period runs from the 1st of each month.

She wants to raise the rent to reflect the local market in 2026. Here is how she gets it right:

1. Check eligibility. The last increase took effect on 1 March 2025. The next increase cannot take effect until at least 1 March 2026 (12 months later). It is now June 2026, so she is clear.
2. Research the market. She finds three comparable two-bed flats in the same postcode advertised at £1,300–£1,375. She saves dated screenshots of each listing.
3. Set a defensible figure. She proposes £1,325, comfortably within the range of comparables, not at the top. There is no incentive to push higher.
4. Pick a compliant date. She serves the notice on 20 June 2026. Two months later is 20 August, but the rental period starts on the 1st, so the earliest aligned date is 1 September 2026. She states 1 September on the notice.
5. Use the right form. She downloads the current prescribed Section 13 form from GOV.UK that day, completes it, and keeps a copy.
6. Serve and record. She serves it and keeps proof of service.

Outcome: the tenant does not refer it to the tribunal, and the rent rises to £1,325 from 1 September 2026. Had Priya proposed £1,600 with no evidence, the tenant could have referred it, and the tribunal could only have confirmed £1,600 or set it lower, never higher, so the inflated ask would have achieved nothing except risk and delay.

Common mistakes that void a Section 13 notice

• Using an out-of-date or home-made form instead of the current prescribed GOV.UK form.
• Giving less than two months’ notice, or starting the new rent mid-period rather than at the start of a rental period.
• Trying to increase the rent more than once in a 12-month period.
• Relying on a rent-review clause that is now unenforceable.
• Attempting to backdate the increase.
• Proposing a figure with no market evidence to support it.
• Forgetting to allow time for service when the notice is posted.

For a deeper look at the specific errors that invalidate a notice, and how to fix them before they cost you a year, read invalid Section 13 rent increases: the errors that void your rent rise.

Section 13 step-by-step

1. Check the tenancy has not had a rent increase take effect in the last 12 months.
2. Research market rent and gather dated comparable evidence.
3. Download the current prescribed Section 13 form from GOV.UK.
4. Complete it with the new rent and an effective date at least two months ahead, aligned to the start of a rental period.
5. Serve it on the tenant and keep proof of service.
6. If the tenant does nothing, the new rent applies from the stated date. If they refer it to the tribunal before that date, prepare and present your evidence and await the determination.

How Section 13 fits the wider 2026 rules

Section 13 sits alongside the other big changes the Renters’ Rights Act brought in. Because there are no more fixed terms, the rent can only ever change by Section 13 or by genuine agreement, the contract can no longer do the work for you. And because the tribunal can only hold or reduce your figure, the whole system now nudges landlords towards modest, well-evidenced increases served on time and on the right form. With only one shot per year, there is real value in not wasting it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still increase the rent if my tenancy agreement has a rent-review clause?

No. Since 1 May 2026, rent-review clauses in assured tenancies are unenforceable. The only ways to change the rent are a valid Section 13 notice or a genuine written agreement with the tenant. A clause promising an “annual RPI increase” or similar does not work any more.

How much notice do I have to give for a Section 13 rent increase?

At least two months before the new rent takes effect, and the effective date must align with the start of a rental period. For a monthly tenancy that means the rent should begin on the day of the month the period starts. Build in extra time if you are serving by post.

Can the First-tier Tribunal raise my rent above what I asked for?

No. Under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, the tribunal can confirm your proposed rent or set a lower one, but it can never set the rent higher than the figure in your notice. This is why an inflated ask carries risk but no reward.

How often can I serve a Section 13 notice?

A rent increase under Section 13 can only take effect once in any 12-month period. You cannot impose two increases in a year, and you cannot double up a rise to make up for a year you skipped.

Do I have to use the GOV.UK form, or can I just write a letter?

You must use the current prescribed Section 13 form available on GOV.UK. An informal letter or email is not a valid Section 13 notice and does not oblige the tenant to pay more, unless the tenant freely agrees in writing to the new figure, which is a separate route.

What happens if I get the date or the form wrong?

The notice is likely to be invalid, meaning the increase does not take effect and you must start again, potentially waiting until the next eligible date. Because you only get one increase per 12-month window, an error can cost you the better part of a year, so it is worth checking the form, the notice period and the period-aligned effective date before you serve.

Coming soon

Tenancy Pilot is launching soon with a Section 13 rent-increase notice generator that builds on the current prescribed GOV.UK form, calculates the earliest lawful effective date, enforces the once-a-year limit, aligns the start date to your rental period, and flags any error that could void the notice before you serve it. Want to issue a watertight Section 13 increase the moment we go live? Join the waitlist to be first in line.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules and prescribed forms change, always check the latest guidance on GOV.UK and the legislation on legislation.gov.uk, and consult a solicitor about your specific circumstances.