Why do Form 4A rent increase notices get rejected?

The three most common defects are: stating the rent at the wrong frequency in box 4.1 (monthly when the tenancy agreement expresses it weekly), a start date in box 4.6 that does not fall on the tenancy's own rent day or gives less than two months' notice, and box 4.3, the date of the most recent rent increase, which includes increases agreed verbally or by email.

What if I do not know the date of the last rent increase?

Reconstruct it from your rent records — the month the credited amount changed is evidence of the date. A date supported by bank statements is far better than a guess. The First-tier Tribunal is principally concerned with whether the twelve-month gap has been respected and whether the proposed rent is at market rate.

How much notice does a Form 4A require?

At least two months before the increase is to start, and rent can only be increased once a year. The increase cannot take effect in the first year of the tenancy.

Form 4A rejected? The three boxes landlords get wrong

Updated July 2026 · Based on official gov.uk guidance and the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 · General information, not legal advice

Since 1 May 2026 there is exactly one lawful way to increase the rent on an assured tenancy in England: a section 13 notice on Form 4A, with at least two months’ notice, no more than once a year. Rent review clauses no longer work, and neither does a friendly email.

That puts a lot of weight on one form. A defective notice does not simply get corrected — you serve a fresh one and wait another two months — so a small mistake costs real money. Three boxes cause most of those mistakes.

Box 4.1 — the rent, stated at the wrong frequency

Box 4.1 asks for the current rent and how often it is paid. The form’s own note tells you to insert how often the rent is paid, such as per week, per fortnight, per four weeks, or per month.

The trap is that this must match the tenancy agreement, not your bank statement. Plenty of older agreements express the rent weekly while the tenant pays a convenient monthly amount by standing order. If the agreement says weekly and you write a monthly figure, you have described a tenancy that is not the one you have. The same applies to the new rent in box 4.5, which must be expressed at the same frequency.

Before you fill anything in, open the agreement and read the rent clause. Not from memory — the wording is the thing being tested.

Box 4.6 — a start date that is not a rent day

Box 4.6 is the date the new rent starts, and it has to do two things at once. It must be at least two months after the notice is served, and it has to line up with the tenancy’s own rent period rather than a date that suits your calendar.

Landlords tend to count two months forward and write down whatever date they land on. If the rent falls due on the 5th and your date says the 1st, you have proposed an increase starting part-way through a rent period. Count forward, then move to the next rent day.

Box 4.3 — the date of the most recent increase

This is the one that catches out the landlords who are otherwise doing everything right. Box 4.3 asks for the date of the most recent rent increase, and the form notes that if there has not been one since the start of the tenancy you leave it blank.

The problem is what counts as an increase. It is not just increases you formalised. An increase agreed verbally over the kitchen table in 2021, or by text, or by an email exchange that neither of you thought of as a legal event, is still a rent increase and still belongs in that box. Landlords who have held a property for a decade routinely cannot say when it last happened.

If you genuinely do not know: reconstruct it from your rent records. The month the credited amount changed is your evidence, and a date supported by bank statements is a far better answer than a blank box or a guess. Answer the box honestly, and make sure it matches your own records. The First-tier Tribunal is mainly concerned with two things: whether the twelve-month gap has been respected, and whether the proposed rent is at market rate.

Two more worth checking before you send. Box 4.2 wants the date the tenancy started — the original start date, not the date it became periodic. And box 4.7 asks what is included in the rent (council tax, water, fuel, communications, fixed service charges). An answer there that contradicts the agreement is the kind of inconsistency that invites a challenge.

What happens if the tenant disagrees

A tenant who thinks the proposed rent is above open market rent can apply to the First-tier Tribunal to decide what the rent should be. That is a normal part of the process, not a sign that you have done something wrong. But it does mean someone will read your notice closely. Check the three boxes above before you send it.

Our step-by-step walkthrough of the whole process is in how to increase the rent using Form 4A. If you increased the rent informally instead, read I agreed a rent increase by email — is it valid? first, because the answer affects what you should do next.

A row of English brick terraced houses at dusk

Find every gap in 2 minutes — free

The check asks how you put the rent up and whether you can evidence the date of the last increase — two of the fastest ways to end up serving a notice twice.

Take the free compliance check →

More guides

Written statement of terms · Missed the 31 May deadline? · How to increase rent (Form 4A) · Does every tenant need their own copy? · Proving you served it · Why Form 4A notices get rejected · Do you need a deed of guarantee? · Pet rent and pet insurance · The 28-day pet rule