Resources · Form 4A Figure Errors

Wrong Rent Figures on Form 4A: Section 13 Figure Mistakes Explained (2026)

Updated 9 May 2026 · England only

Form 4A asks for two rent figures: the current rent and the proposed new rent. They look like the simplest boxes on the form. They produce more void notices than any other single field. Whether the agent typed the wrong number, swapped the boxes, or wrote “an increase of £75” instead of the new total — the result is the same. The notice is defective and the rent does not go up. This page covers the 6 specific Section 13 figure mistakes that void a Form 4A notice, what tribunals do with them, and how to fix it.

The Anatomy of Form 4A's Figure Boxes

Form 4A has two figure boxes that matter for this discussion:

• The existing rent. The rent the tenant is currently contracted to pay — the figure on the tenancy agreement, as last validly increased.
• The proposed new rent. The full new total rent the landlord proposes to charge from the effective date. Not an increase amount. Not a delta. The whole number.

Both figures are usually written as “£X per month” or “£X per week”, matching the tenancy's rent period. The form also asks the landlord to state the proposed new rent in words — and the words must match the numerals.

Mistake 1: Current and Proposed Rents Swapped

The single most common figure error. The agent or landlord types £1,475 in the current-rent box and £1,400 in the proposed-rent box, by accident. Or the form template labels its boxes ambiguously and someone fills them in the wrong order.

Result:the proposed rent is lower than the current rent. The notice does not propose an increase. Section 13 only authorises increases. A “no change” or “reduction” notice has no effect.

Fix: serve a fresh Form 4A. There is no way to correct a served notice — the new 2-month clock starts from the new deemed-service date, and the 52-week interval rule continues to run from the last increase that actually took effect. See the validity check for what tenants and landlords should do once a defective notice has been served.

Mistake 2: Increase Amount Instead of New Total

Common phrasings that void the notice:

• “An increase of £75 per month”
• “£1,400 + £75 per month”
• “£75 increase from £1,400”

Form 4A asks for the proposed new total rent — a single, unambiguous number that becomes the new contractual rent if the notice is valid. A delta or sum doesn't meet the prescribed-form requirement. Tribunals treat the ambiguity as defective.

Fix:always state the new total. “£1,475 per month” is correct. The increase is implicit — the tenant can see it's £75 by comparing to the current-rent box.

Mistake 3: Proposed Rent Equal to or Below Current Rent

Sometimes the figures aren't swapped — the landlord just got the proposed figure wrong. They meant to propose £1,475 and typed £1,375. They meant to put up the rent and accidentally typed the current rent in both boxes.

Result: no increase is proposed. The notice fails on its face.

Important note on the s.14ZB cap.Section 7 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 inserted a new section 14ZB into the Housing Act 1988. When a tenant refers a Section 13 notice, the First-tier Tribunal must set the rent at “the open-market rent, if lower than the proposed rent, and otherwise, the proposed rent.”The tribunal can confirm or reduce — never exceed. So a figure typed too low isn't something the tribunal can rescue. Whatever number is on Form 4A is the ceiling for the next 12 months.

Mistake 4: Numerals and Words Don't Match

Form 4A asks the landlord to state the proposed rent in numbers and in words. “£1,475 (one thousand four hundred and seventy-five pounds)” — both have to match. If the numerals and the words disagree, the form is internally inconsistent and treated as defective.

Tribunals do not pick the higher figure or the lower figure. They treat the inconsistency as making the new contractual rent unascertainable, and the notice fails.

Mistake 5: Pence and Decimal Mismatches

£1,475.00 is the same number as £1,475. £1,475.50 is not. If the form shows pence in one box and not the other, or different pence figures in the numerals and words sections, the notice is defective.

Best practice: pick a format and use it consistently. If you state pence in one box, state pence in all. If you write a round figure, keep it round throughout.

Mistake 6: Figure Inconsistent With Effective Date or Rent Period

Less obvious, but seen at tribunal. The notice gives a monthly figure but specifies an effective date that doesn't match a monthly rent period. Or the notice gives a weekly figure on a tenancy that pays monthly. Or the figure is right but the rent period in the form's description doesn't match the tenancy.

The figure is interpreted in the context of the rent period. If the form says “£1,475 per month” but the tenancy is weekly, the form is defective. The figure must align with the tenancy's actual rent period — the same period that determines the effective-date alignment rule under Mooney v Whiteland [2023].

What Tribunals Do With Figure Errors

Three things in order:

• They don't rewrite the form.Tribunals are not empowered to guess what the landlord meant. The figure on the form is the figure assessed. If the figure is internally inconsistent or doesn't propose a valid increase, the notice fails.
• They don't apply substantial-compliance arguments.Section 13 notices are treated as mandatory in form, not directory. “The tenant clearly understood what was meant” is not a defence to a defective figure.
• They cap awards at the proposed figure under s.14ZB. Even if the notice is otherwise valid but the figure is conservative, the tribunal cannot lift it. So a typo that produces a low proposed rent caps the landlord at that low number for the lock-in period.

How to Fix a Figure Error After Service

Three steps, in order:

1. Acknowledge the defect to the tenant in writing.A short email confirming the original notice is defective and that you will serve a corrected one protects the paper trail and prevents any “deemed acceptance” argument.

2. Serve a fresh, correct Form 4A. The 2-month notice period runs again from the new deemed-service date. The 52-week interval rule continues to run from the last increase that actually took effect — a void notice does not move that clock.

3. Document everything.Keep the defective Form 4A, the acknowledgement email, the fresh Form 4A, proof of service, and a written record of the figures you intended versus what was on the original. If there's any subsequent dispute — including a potential professional negligence claim against an agent who produced the defective notice — this paper trail is what valuates the loss.

For the bigger picture on what a defective notice costs and who absorbs the loss, see letting agent Section 13 mistakes — liability and negligence.

Free Tool: Form 4A Generated With the Right Figures

Noticr generates Form 4A from your tenancy data: the current rent comes from the tenancy record, the proposed rent is validated against the rent period, and the numerals and words are produced from a single source figure so they cannot disagree. Decimal handling, currency formatting, and rent-period alignment are all enforced automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

If the current and proposed rents are swapped on Form 4A, is the notice valid?

No. If the figure in the proposed-rent box is lower than (or equal to) the figure in the current-rent box, the notice does not propose a valid increase — Section 13 only authorises increases. The tribunal will not rewrite the form to reflect what the landlord meant. The landlord must serve a fresh, correct Form 4A and the 2-month notice clock restarts.

Can I write “an increase of £75 per month” instead of the new total?

No. Form 4A asks for the proposed new total rent, not the increase. Writing “an increase of £75” (or “£1,400 + £75”) makes the figure ambiguous — the tenant and the tribunal cannot tell from the form what the new contractual rent is supposed to be. Tribunals treat ambiguous figures as defective. Always write the new total monthly (or weekly) figure, e.g. “£1,475 per month”.

What if the figure is right but the pence is wrong (e.g. £1,475.50 versus £1,475)?

Minor decimal slips create ambiguity about the contractual rent and can render the notice defective. The proposed rent must be a single, clear figure. If the form shows two different figures (e.g. one in numerals and one in words) that don't match, the notice is defective. Re-serve with consistent figures throughout.

What if the rent figure on Form 4A is below the market rate?

The notice is still valid (assuming all other validity checks pass) — but you have permanently capped your own ceiling for the next 12 months. Under section 14ZB of the Housing Act 1988 (inserted by section 7 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025), the First-tier Tribunal can only confirm or reduce the proposed figure. It cannot exceed it. An under-shoot is locked in until the next 52-week window opens.

I served Form 4A with the wrong figures. Can I correct it after serving?

No. Once served, a Section 13 notice cannot be amended or corrected. You must serve a fresh Form 4A with the right figures and the 2-month notice period runs again from the new deemed-service date. You also cannot back-date the corrected notice to recover the lost month.