Section 13 rent increase date calculator
Tells you the last day to serve Form 4A and the earliest date the new rent can start, checking the two-month, 52-week and start-of-period rules.
Rent increase clock
Section 13 notice (Form 4A) dates for a private assured periodic tenancy in England. The example below updates as you type.
Check a date you have in mind, or add Form 4A question 4.4
Served on Sun, 25 October 2026, the earliest new rent date is Fri, 15 January 2027. The 52-week rule alone would have allowed 15 September 2026, but that needed serving by 15 July 2026.
Your tenant can refer the proposed rent to the First-tier Tribunal (form MR1, £47) any time before 15 January 2027. The tribunal cannot set a rent higher than you proposed, and the new rent is not backdated. If they apply, you can reply on form MR2 within 28 days.
In forceas of 25 October 2026Housing Act 1988, section 13 (as amended by Renters’ Rights Act 2025, s.6)
In forceas of 25 October 2026Form 4A (05.26): Landlord’s notice proposing a new rent, private rented sector
The three rules every new rent date must pass
Since 1 May 2026, section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 is the only way to raise the rent on a private assured periodic tenancy in England. Form 4A’s notes set out three requirements, and the calculator applies all of them:
- Two months’ notice. The tenant must receive the notice at least two months before the new rent starts.
- 52 weeks. The first increase cannot start until 52 weeks after the tenancy began; later ones not until 52 weeks (sometimes 53) after the last increase took effect.
- Start of a rent period. A monthly tenancy that started on the 20th must have its new rent start on a 20th; a weekly tenancy that started on a Monday, on a Monday.
How we count
Two months runs from the day of service to the same date two months later (15 March to 15 May). When that date does not exist, the period ends on the last day of the month, so the earliest start is the 1st of the next month. 52 weeks is 364 days. For monthly tenancies starting on the 29th to 31st, we treat the rent day as the last day of shorter months; check your agreement. If you post the notice, we suggest sending it two working days earlier than the serve-by date so it arrives in time; that is prudence, not a legal rule.
Ready to serve? Build the Form 4A evidence pack first so you can answer a tribunal application, and save the tenancy to the tracker to get next year’s date automatically.
Frequently asked questions
How much notice does a section 13 rent increase need?
At least two months. Count from the day the tenant receives Form 4A: a notice served on 15 March allows a new rent from 15 May at the earliest, and only if 15 May is the first day of a rent period.
Can I increase the rent in the first year of a tenancy?
No. The first increase cannot start until 52 weeks after the first rent period began. A monthly tenancy that started on 20 April 2026 can have its first new rent on 20 April 2027 at the earliest, with Form 4A served by 20 February 2027.
Does my rent review clause still work?
Not since 1 May 2026. Section 13(4A) makes any term allowing a higher rent outside the section 13 route of no effect. An increase under a clause that took effect before 1 May 2026 still counts as the last increase, so the next one must wait 52 weeks from it.
What is the 53-week rule?
If you enter the date of the first increase after 11 February 2003 (Form 4A question 4.4), and 52 weeks after the last increase falls more than six days before that anniversary, you must wait 53 weeks. It stops increase dates drifting earlier every year.
What if the tenant challenges the increase?
They can apply to the First-tier Tribunal on form MR1 (£47) before the new rent starts. The tribunal decides the open-market rent but cannot set more than you proposed, and the rent is not backdated: if the decision comes after your start date, the new rent starts at the next rent period after the decision.
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