Guides

Section 13, explained properly.

Every guide we publish on Section 13 rent increases, Form 4A, and the Renters' Rights Act 2025 — written around the statute, kept current, England only.

Validity

7 Section 13 Mistakes That Invalidate It

The 7 procedural errors that void a Section 13 notice on its face — short notice, wrong form, mid-period dates, the new s.14ZB cap.

Read guide
No notice

No Form 4A, No Rent Increase

What happens if your landlord raises rent without a Form 4A — and the transitional trap for pre-1 May 2026 notices.

Read guide
Form 4A

Form 4A Template UK 2026

The current form, the 2026 notice period change, and the four mistakes that void your notice before you serve it.

Read guide
Self-diagnostic

Is My Section 13 Rent Increase Invalid?

A 7-point validity check tenants and landlords can run in 5 minutes — Form 4A version, signature, dates, figures.

Read guide
Service rules

How to Serve a Section 13 Notice

Post vs personal vs email. Deemed-service dates. What to keep as proof, and for how long.

Read guide
RRA 2025

Renters' Rights Act 2025: Landlord Guide

What changed on 1 May 2026, what didn't, and the new s.14ZB tribunal cap most coverage missed.

Read guide
Rent in advance

Rent in Advance Under the RRA 2025

You can still take it — one month, after signing. What's allowed, what's banned, and the section behind each rule.

Read guide
Rent amounts

How Much Can I Increase Rent?

No cap exists — but the tribunal applies a market rent test. ONS data, comparable evidence, and a worked example.

Read guide
Limits & caps

Rent Increase Limits UK

Is there a maximum, or a cap? Why the Renters' Rights Act is not a rent cap — and the three real limits.

Read guide
Tribunal

Apply for a Market Rent Determination

How a challenged Section 13 reaches the First-tier Tribunal: who applies, the deadline, and the s.14ZB cap.

Read guide
Frequency

How Often Can Rent Be Increased?

Once every 52 weeks via Section 13 — why the tenancy agreement can't override it, and the 2-month notice rule.

Read guide
Agent liability

Letting Agent Made a Section 13 Mistake?

Who pays when an agent botches a notice — liability, professional negligence, and the s.14ZB consequence.

Read guide
Figure errors

Wrong Rent Figures on Form 4A

Swapped numbers, increase shown instead of total, decimal slips — the 6 figure errors that void a Section 13 notice.

Read guide
Case law

Mooney v Whiteland [2023]

The Court of Appeal case that voided a Section 13 notice over a Friday effective date — the strict alignment rule.

Read guide
53-week rule

The 53-Week Rule Explained

Section 13(3B) Housing Act 1988. Why long-running tenancies sometimes require 53 weeks, not 52.

Read guide