Section 13 rent increase: how to put up the rent

9 minute read

This guide is for Tameside landlords who let houses or rooms in Ashton-under-Lyne, Stalybridge, Hyde and nearby towns, whether you manage the property yourself or use a letting agent. The rules are national, and the worked examples show how the dates fall for a typical monthly tenancy.

What is a Section 13 rent increase?

A Section 13 rent increase is the only way to raise the rent on an assured periodic tenancy. It is named after section 13 of the Housing Act 1988. You serve a rent increase notice on the official form, Form 4A, and the new rent starts on the date the notice gives.

Since 1 May 2026 almost every private let to an individual is an assured periodic tenancy. There are no fixed terms, so a Tameside landlord in Ashton-under-Lyne, Stalybridge or Hyde cannot rely on a rent review clause or a rise agreed by email. Even if your tenant is happy to pay more, the notice is still needed. This is a summary, not legal advice, and it is correct as of 28 October 2026.

How much notice does a Section 13 notice need?

You must give at least two months' notice. The new rent must also start at the beginning of a rent period. For a tenant who pays monthly on the 1st, that means a new rent starting on a 1st.

Count from the day the notice is properly served, not the day you sign it. If it goes by post, add a margin, because a late arrival can push the earliest date into the next rent period. When in doubt, serve earlier rather than later.

Why the date often lands later than you expect

Two months from the 5th of a month ends on the 5th, which is part way through a rent period. The new rent can only start on the next period start after that. This catches out landlords who count in whole calendar months.

Worked example: a Section 13 timeline with dates

Assume a monthly tenancy in Hyde, in Tameside. The rent is £700 and is due on the 1st. The last increase took effect on 1 March 2026. You want to raise the rent to £735, which is a rise of £35, or 5% (£35 divided by £700).

Over a year the extra rent is £35 x 12 = £420. Now compare a notice served by hand on 5 January 2027. Two months later is 5 March 2027, which falls inside a rent period, so the earliest new rent date is 1 April 2027.

The 52 week rule: how often can you increase rent?

You can increase the rent once a year. The first increase cannot come before 52 weeks after the tenancy began. After that, each increase cannot come before 52 weeks after the last one.

Increases made before May 2026 count. A rent review increase that was agreed before 1 May 2026 but only falls due after it does not apply.

Example of the 52 week rule

A tenant in Stalybridge moved in on 1 June 2025. No increase has been made since. The earliest the first increase can start is 52 weeks later, which is 31 May 2026. In practice that means the first rent period start after it, 1 June 2026.

Fifty-two weeks is 364 days, not a year, so the dates drift by a day each year. Always count the days instead of using the same calendar date.

What goes in a rent increase notice?

Use the current Form 4A from GOV.UK and complete every part. A letter or an old template is not a substitute. Before you fill it in, have these facts ready:

• Names and address. The landlord, the tenant and the property, exactly as in the tenancy agreement.
• The current rent. The rent as it is now, and how often it is paid.
• The new rent. The figure you propose, which should reflect the open market rent for that home.
• The start date. A rent period start that gives at least two months' notice.
• Your evidence. Keep the comparable listings, the dates you looked and your notes outside the form, in case of a challenge.

Each assured periodic tenancy needs its own notice. In a house share where every room is let separately, each room has its own tenancy, so each room's rise is its own Form 4A. A guarantor is also not bound by a rise made outside Section 13.

How do you serve a Section 13 notice?

You can serve in person, by post, or by email if the tenancy agreement allows it. The 2026 North Point agreements allow email service. Older agreements may not, so check yours.

• By hand. Have a witness and take a dated photo of the delivery.
• By first class post. Keep proof of posting and allow for the days it takes to arrive.
• By email. Only where the tenant has agreed in writing to email service. Keep the sent message.

Keep a service record whichever way you choose: the date, the time, who delivered it and how.

Can a tenant challenge a rent increase?

Yes. A tenant who thinks the new rent is too high can apply to the First-tier Tribunal before the new rent date. The tribunal decides what the property would let for on the open market. If your figure is well above comparable homes, it is the figure most likely to be reduced.

Do not pressure a tenant to accept the rise. They do not have to agree for a valid notice to take effect, and they are entitled to apply. A calm explanation in plain words keeps a good tenancy going and makes a dispute less likely.

Common mistakes when you increase rent

• Relying on a rent review clause in an older tenancy agreement.
• Agreeing a rise by text or email and treating that as enough. A signed agreement from the tenant does not replace the notice.
• Increasing the rent twice inside 52 weeks, or forgetting a pre-May 2026 increase.
• Giving less than two months, or counting from the date you wrote the notice.
• Emailing the notice when the agreement does not allow it.
• Choosing a rent period start that does not fit the notice.
• Using an out of date form.

Two related rules are worth knowing. Rent in advance is limited to one month, and adverts must show a set rent, so you cannot invite or accept offers above it. Our Renters' Rights Act guide covers both. If the tenant stops paying after a rise, see our rent arrears and possession guide.

What the terms mean

• Assured periodic tenancy. A rolling tenancy with no end date, usually running month to month.
• Rent period. The stretch of time one payment covers, such as a month from the 1st.
• Form 4A. The official rent increase notice.
• First-tier Tribunal. The independent body that decides a disputed open market rent.
• Open market rent. What the property would let for to a new tenant today.

How North Point handles rent reviews for Tameside landlords

As a Tameside letting agent, our full management and HMO management services include an annual Section 13 rent review at no extra charge. We keep each tenancy's rent dates and the date of the last increase, so the 52 weeks are never guesswork.

We check what comparable homes are asking, prepare the facts for the notice, and Josie reviews each one before it goes out. A person always serves the notice, and we keep the proof of service. See our fees: full management is 12% of rent collected, with no VAT and no set-up fee. The fee calculator shows what that looks like for your rent.

Not sure whether to raise the rent at all? A rental valuation shows what your home would let for today, and our pages for Ashton-under-Lyne, Stalybridge and Hyde cover the local picture.