Section 13 notice explained

A Section 13 notice is the formal piece of paper a landlord uses to put up the rent on a private periodic tenancy in England. Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 sets out how it has to look, when it can be served, and what notice has to be given. The Renters' Rights Act 2024 then reshaped several of those rules — most importantly the notice period and the tribunal's powers.

This guide walks through what a Section 13 notice actually contains, the four things to check the moment one arrives, and what to do next.

What a Section 13 notice is

Section 13 is the statutory route for raising the rent on most assured and assured shorthold tenancies in England. It applies to periodic tenancies — that is, tenancies running on a month-to-month or week-to-week basis without a fixed end date. Most ASTs become periodic automatically once the initial fixed term expires.

For a Section 13 notice to put up the rent, it has to use the prescribed form published on gov.uk. A free-form letter or email cannot impose a statutory rent increase, no matter how strongly worded. The landlord can still ask you to agree to a higher rent informally — but you don't have to.

What's on the form

The prescribed Section 13 form (currently “Form 4” on gov.uk) is a single page divided into seven numbered sections:

1. Tenant's name and address. The full names of all tenants on the agreement, and the address of the rented property.
2. Date. The date the notice is served on you.
3. Type of tenancy. A short statement confirming the tenancy is periodic (statutory or contractual).
4. The new rent. The proposed monthly (or weekly) figure.
5. The start date for the new rent. Must be at least two months after the notice is served (under the RRA 2024) and must align with the start of a rental period.
6. Landlord's name and signature. The legal landlord, or their agent acting on their authority.
7. Notes for the tenant. A short summary of your right to refer the rent to the First-tier Tribunal if you disagree, and the deadline for doing so.

If any of those numbered sections is missing or filled in incorrectly, the notice may be defective.

The four validity checks

The moment a Section 13 arrives, run these four checks:

1. Is it on the prescribed form? If it's a letter or email rather than the gov.uk form, it isn't a Section 13 notice at all.
2. Does it give at least 2 months' notice? Count from the date served to the start date of the new rent. If it's less than two months, it's invalid under the RRA 2024.
3. Has it been at least 12 months since the last increase? Section 13 cannot be used more than once in any 12-month period. If your rent was already increased less than a year ago using Section 13, a fresh Section 13 is premature.
4. Does the new rent start at the beginning of a rental period? If you pay on the 1st of each month, the new rent has to start on a 1st — not mid-month.

What changed under the RRA 2024

The Renters' Rights Act 2024 made four changes to the Section 13 regime that all sit in the tenant's favour:

• Notice period extended. Two months minimum (previously one).
• Once per 12 months. Landlords can only use Section 13 once in a rolling 12-month window.
• Tribunal can't exceed the proposed rent. Previously the tribunal could substitute a higher figure than the landlord asked for. Now it can only confirm or lower the proposed rent.
• New rent not backdated. If the tribunal takes time to decide, the new rent (if confirmed) takes effect from the date of the decision, not the original start date. The tribunal can also defer the start by up to two months in cases of undue hardship.

Together these changes have reduced the downside of challenging a Section 13 to nearly zero. There is no longer a risk that bringing a tribunal challenge ends with a higher rent than the notice proposed.

If the notice is valid

You have three options:

• Accept the increase. Do nothing and the new rent takes effect on the date in the notice.
• Negotiate. Reply in writing proposing a different figure. The landlord doesn't have to engage, but most do — tribunal hearings cost them time even when they win.
• Apply to the First-tier Tribunal. Free, no solicitor required. You must apply before the start date of the new rent. See how to challenge a Section 13.

Whether to challenge depends on the rent itself, not the procedure. Run a quick check with the Section 13 checker — it compares the proposed rent to lower-quartile, median and upper-quartile rents for similar properties in your postcode area, which is essentially what the tribunal will do.

If the notice has a defect

Write to the landlord, in plain terms, identifying which validity check the notice fails. Most landlords reissue when challenged on this — they don't want a tribunal looking at procedural sloppiness.

Don't simply ignore an invalid notice and assume the rent stays where it is. Sometimes apparently small defects are treated as immaterial; sometimes a tribunal will overlook them. Get advice from Shelter before relying on invalidity as your sole defence.

Next steps

However the notice looks, the next move is the same: open the Section 13 checker and run your numbers. The result tells you whether the rent is above, around or below the local market — which is the only thing the tribunal actually decides on if it ever reaches them.

Frequently asked questions