Section 13 Rent Increase: How Often Can a Landlord Raise the Rent?

Once Every 52 Weeks — No Exceptions

Under Section 13(2) of the Housing Act 1988, a rent increase on an assured periodic tenancy in England cannot take effect more than once in any 52-week period. This is a hard statutory limit. A Form 4A notice that proposes an effective date within the 52-week window of the last lawful increase is invalid.

The 52-week count is measured from effective date to effective date — not from the date you serve the notice. You can serve a new Form 4A notice while the current 52-week period is still running, as long as the proposed effective date falls on or after the 52-week mark.

Four Events That Start the Clock

The 52-week period runs from whichever of these events happened most recently:

1. The tenancy start date. For a new tenancy created on or after 1 May 2026, no rent increase can take effect until at least 52 weeks after the tenancy began. If the tenancy and rental period started on 1 August 2026, 52 weeks have elapsed by 31 July 2027; the earliest aligned effective date is 1 August 2027.

2. The effective date of the last Section 13 increase. Once you have used the Section 13 process, the clock resets from the date the new rent took effect — not from the date you served the notice.

3. A First-tier Tribunal determination. If the tenant challenged your increase and the tribunal set a different figure, the 52-week clock runs from the date in the tribunal's decision. This is the date the determined rent starts, which may differ from the date you originally proposed.

4. A pre-reform contractual increase. For tenancies that converted from ASTs on 1 May 2026, if rent was last adjusted via a contractual rent review clause before the conversion date, the 52-week clock runs from the date that contractual increase took effect. The clause itself is now void, but the date it last produced an increase anchors the frequency calculation.

Transitional Example

Your tenant has been in the property since 2019 on an AST. The tenancy agreement contained a clause allowing a rent increase each September. The last contractual increase took effect on 1 September 2025.

On 1 May 2026, the AST converted to an assured periodic tenancy and the rent review clause became void. The 52-week clock started from 1 September 2025. Fifty-two weeks have elapsed by 31 August 2026; if the rental period starts on the 1st, the next aligned effective date is 1 September 2026.

That means a Section 13 increase could take effect from 1 September 2026 — but you also need to have served Form 4A at least two full calendar months before that date. If you did not serve by 1 July 2026, you missed the September date; choose the next tenancy-period start date that falls at least two full calendar months after your actual service date.

What Happens If You Serve Too Early

A Form 4A with an effective date that falls inside the 52-week window is void. It has no legal effect, the proposed rent does not take effect, and you need to serve a fresh notice with a corrected date.

The invalid notice does not "count" — it does not engage the 52-week clock or the two-month notice period. But the practical cost is delay. Every month you wait is another month at the old rent.

Can You Serve the Notice Before 52 Weeks Expire?

Yes. You can serve the notice itself before the 52 weeks have elapsed. What matters is that the proposed effective date is at or after the 52-week mark, at least two full calendar months after service, and aligned with a rent-period start.

This is actually good practice. Serve before the 52-week mark while leaving at least two full calendar months before the proposed effective date. That gives the tenant time to review the notice and may reduce last-minute friction.

Track the Dates

The frequency rule is straightforward in theory — once a year — but the exact dates matter. Missing the 52-week mark by a day invalidates the notice; confusing the service date with the effective date creates the same problem. Our Section 13 rent increase guide includes a timeline planner that maps the 52-week threshold, the two-month notice window, and the rent-period alignment onto a single worksheet so every date lines up correctly.

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