Renters' Rights Act and Section 13 Rent Increases: What Changed

The Renters' Rights Act Rewrote the Rules on Rent

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, with Phase 1 provisions coming into force on 1 May 2026. For rent increases, it made three structural changes that every private landlord in England needs to understand:

1. Section 13 is now the only lawful mechanism. You cannot increase rent through a contractual rent review clause, an informal agreement, or a new tenancy at a higher figure. Form 4A is mandatory.

2. Contractual rent review clauses are void. Any clause in a tenancy agreement that provides for automatic rent increases, index-linked adjustments, or scheduled reviews has no legal effect from 1 May 2026. It does not matter that both parties agreed to it.

3. The First-tier Tribunal cannot increase rent above the landlord's proposed figure. This is new. Under the pre-reform rules, a tribunal determination could technically land above the landlord's proposal. That risk is gone — the figure on your Form 4A is the absolute ceiling.

How the Transition Worked

On 1 May 2026, every existing Assured Shorthold Tenancy in England automatically converted to an assured periodic tenancy. No paperwork was needed. The tenant continued paying the same rent at the same interval, but the legal structure of the tenancy changed.

If you had a contractual rent review clause and used it to increase rent before 1 May 2026, that increase stands — it was lawful at the time. But from 1 May onwards, the clause is dead. Your next increase must go through Section 13.

The 52-week frequency clock for your first Section 13 increase runs from the date of the last lawful rent adjustment. If rent went up via a contractual clause on 1 February 2026, 52 weeks have elapsed by 31 January 2027; if the tenancy period starts on the 1st, the earliest aligned effective date is 1 February 2027.

The Tribunal Changes

Before the Renters' Rights Act, a tenant who challenged a rent increase at the First-tier Tribunal faced a risk: the tribunal could determine that the market rent was actually higher than what the landlord proposed, and set the rent at that higher figure. This created a deterrent effect — tenants who were unsure whether the proposed rent was above market were reluctant to challenge it.

The Act removed that deterrent. Now:

• The tribunal cannot set rent above the landlord's proposed figure on Form 4A
• The determined rent takes effect from the date of the tribunal's decision, not the date proposed in the notice — no backdating
• If the tenant would suffer undue financial hardship, the tribunal can defer the start date by up to two months

For landlords, the practical effect is that more tenants may challenge rent increases, knowing the worst outcome is the amount they were already asked to pay. Building a solid market evidence dossier — comparable agreed rents, not just asking prices — is more important than ever.

What the Act Did Not Change

Section 13 still has no percentage cap. There is no statutory limit on how much you can increase rent by, and local authorities in England have no power to impose rent controls. The open market rental value, as determined by the First-tier Tribunal if challenged, is the only constraint.

The Housing Act 1988, as amended by the Act, sets the 52-week frequency rule. The clock runs from the effective date of the last adjustment.

Form 4A requirements include correct tenant names, property address, current and proposed rent, two months' notice, and alignment with a rent-period start date. The current form replaced old Form 4 variants for notices served on or after 1 May 2026.

What You Should Do Now

If you have not yet increased rent since the conversion, map out your timeline. Check when the tenancy started or when rent was last increased, calculate the earliest effective date under the 52-week rule, and work backwards to find the latest service date that gives you two full calendar months.

Our Section 13 rent increase guide for landlords in England covers the entire process under the post-Renters' Rights Act framework, including Form 4A completion, postal deeming calculations, and how to assemble tribunal-ready market evidence.

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