- Price
- €9.95incl. VAT, 2 pages included
- Delivery time
- Next working dayusually, after posting
- Proof
- Recipient's signature+ tracking
- Handed to the post
- Upload by 14:00UK time on a working day, posted the same day
- Counts as
- Inland Royal Mail letterprinted and posted in United Kingdom
Does a Form 4A notice have to go by recorded delivery?
No. The notes on Form 4A tell landlords to use a method of service in the written tenancy agreement, if it names one. If it does not, you can hand the notice to the tenant, leave it at the tenant's address, or send it by registered post.
An Act of 1962 treats recorded delivery, today Royal Mail Signed For, as an alternative wherever an enactment names registered post. Whatever you use, the form reminds you that you need to be able to show you served the notice.
When does a posted notice count as served?
Where a statute authorises service by post, a properly addressed, prepaid and posted letter is treated as delivered when it would arrive in the ordinary course of post, unless the contrary is proved. In 2025 the Court of Appeal held that this rule applies only where the statute authorises post; a clause in the tenancy agreement can set its own rule.
So leave room: pick a start date that is two months after the day the notice will actually arrive, plus a few days.
What should you check before you post it?
- The names of every joint tenant and the address of the property
- Your contact address, so the tenant can reach someone about the increase
- The current rent, the date the tenancy started and the date of the last increase
- A start date for the new rent at least two months after service
- Your signature: the form notes say you can complete and sign it electronically or by hand
- Every page of the form, including the notes for the tenant
What changed on 1 May 2026?
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Form | Form 4A, landlord's notice proposing a new rent |
| Notice | Served at least two months before the new rent starts |
| How often | Once a year |
| First year of the tenancy | No increase |
| Tenant who disagrees | Can ask the First-tier Tribunal, before the start date in the notice |
In England's private rented sector, every rent increase now goes through a notice on Form 4A, even if the tenant already agreed. A rent review clause in the tenancy agreement no longer raises the rent. An increase agreed before 1 May 2026 that takes effect after that date does not apply.
How do you serve Form 4A by post, also from abroad?
- Complete and sign Form 4A and save it as one PDF.
- Add a cover page with the tenant's address in the window area.
- Upload the PDF and choose the United Kingdom.
- Keep the delivery record with a copy of the notice.
Sample cover page for Form 4A
Optional. It sits on top of the form and shows through the envelope window.
[Tenant's full name]
[Property address]
[Date]
Dear [tenant's name],
Please find enclosed a landlord's notice proposing a new rent on Form 4A, under Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988.
The new rent of [amount] would start on [date]. The notes on the form explain how you can ask the First-tier Tribunal to decide the rent if you disagree.
Yours sincerely,
[Landlord's name]
[Contact address and email]
What to check before you send
- Pick a start date at least two months after the day the notice will arrive, plus a few days, so a late delivery does not make the notice too short.
Frequently asked questions
Can I serve a Section 13 notice by post?
Yes. Use the method in the tenancy agreement if it names one. If not, the Form 4A notes allow hand delivery, leaving it at the address, or registered post.
How much notice does Form 4A need?
At least two months before the new rent starts.
Can I still use a rent review clause?
No. From 1 May 2026 every increase in England's private rented sector goes through Form 4A.
How often can I raise the rent?
Once a year, and not in the first year of the tenancy.
Can I serve it while I live abroad?
Yes. You upload the signed form from anywhere; we print it in the UK and post it Royal Mail Signed For.
Does Signed For prove what was in the envelope?
No. It records the delivery. Keep the PDF you uploaded: your proof PDF carries a fingerprint of that file, so you can show which document was sent.