Blog
Expert guides on tenant rights, rent increases, and the Section 13 process in England.
Section 13 and a returning former joint tenant: does the notice still bind everyone?
A previously departed joint tenant moves back in while a Section 13 is live. Is the notice still valid? Four sub-scenarios, what each means for the increase, and what the tenant does in the first 48 hours.
Form 4 vs Form 4A: the tenant walkthrough for the 1 May 2026 transition fortnight
In the seven days either side of 1 May 2026 the Section 13 regime switches from Form 4 to Form 4A. The date of service decides which rules apply - and the tribunal risk is very different between the two. Tenant walkthrough.
Section 13 notice with a wrong date: the three defects tenants can spot in two minutes
Three dates appear on every Section 13 rent increase notice. Get any one of them wrong and the notice can be invalid. Two minutes with a calendar and your tenancy agreement is all it takes to check.
Section 13 notice with wrong joint tenant names: what invalidates it and what doesn't
Names on a Section 13 rent increase notice matter. One missing joint tenant, one wrong name, one stale address and the whole notice can be invalid. Here is the five-pattern walkthrough for UK tenants.
Form 4A errors tenants can use to invalidate a rent increase (from 1 May 2026)
From 1 May 2026, every landlord in England serving a rent increase under Section 13 must use Form 4A. Not Form 4 — that's the old version, which applies to notices served before 1 May. Not an email. Not a letter on headed paper. Not a polit
The GBP 47 tribunal fee from 1 May 2026: the decision tool for tenants
On 23 March 2026, the Ministry of Justice confirmed the fee for applying to a rent tribunal: GBP 47. From 1 May 2026, any tenant in England facing a Section 13 rent increase can challenge it for that single flat fee. There is no additional
Section 13 notice with the wrong tenancy type: when it's a knockout defect (and when it isn't)
If you've just opened a Section 13 notice and something about it feels off — the tenancy it describes doesn't match the one you actually have — trust that instinct. Tenancy type sits at the very heart of Section 13. Get it wrong, and the no
What to do if your Section 13 rent increase already took effect and you never applied to the tribunal
Missing the tribunal window feels final. It isn't. If your Section 13 rent increase has already kicked in and you never filed a tribunal application, you still have four real routes. This guide walks you through each one, with the templates
Is a Section 13 rent increase notice valid if the landlord only sent it by email?
If a Section 13 rent increase notice landed in your email inbox this week and nowhere else — no letter, no postal recording, no courier — then the notice may well be invalid. Whether it is depends on one document: your tenancy agreement.
How to object to your landlord's comparables at a rent tribunal hearing
Your own comparables are only half the battle. The other half is what you do with the landlord's.