The Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Prescribed Forms and Transitional Provisions) (England) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/354) have been made and published on legislation.gov.uk. This instrument prescribes the official forms landlords must use for Section 8 possession notices and Section 13 rent increase notices under the new Assured Periodic Tenancy regime. Use of non-prescribed forms risks the notice being invalid and possession proceedings failing.
SI 2026/354 ? the Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Prescribed Forms and Transitional Provisions) (England) Regulations 2026 ? has been made and is published on legislation.gov.uk. The instrument sits alongside SI 2026/324 (the Written Statement of Terms and Information Sheet Regulations) as part of the suite of secondary legislation brought into force under the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
Rent increases are limited to no more than once per year, requiring landlords to serve a statutory rent increase notice and give at least two months' notice. Tenants will be able to challenge above-market rent increases through the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). SI 2026/354 prescribes the form of that statutory notice ? Form 4A ? which must be used by landlords for all rent increases under Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 as amended. Landlords must use Form 4A and give tenants at least two months' notice when seeking a rent increase.
The instrument also prescribes the updated Section 8 possession notice forms reflecting the reformed grounds for possession introduced by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. The government has introduced several new mandatory (court-ordered) and discretionary Section 8 possession grounds that landlords may use to seek possession. The prescribed forms incorporate the new and amended grounds ? including the new grounds for landlord sale (Ground 1A), landlord occupation (Ground 1), and student HMO possession (Ground 4A) ? as well as the transitional provisions for notices served under the old regime.
Transitional provisions within the SI address outstanding pre-commencement notices. Transitional provisions mean that if a private landlord has already served their tenant with a valid Section 21 eviction notice before 1 May 2026, they must begin court possession proceedings on or before 31 July 2026. Landlords relying on pre-commencement Section 8 notices should verify that any subsequent court filings use the updated prescribed forms where required by the transitional provisions.
Action required
Landlords and letting agents must use only the forms prescribed under SI 2026/354 when serving Section 8 notices seeking possession and Section 13 rent increase notices (Form 4A) from 1 May 2026. Download the current prescribed forms from legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/354 or gov.uk before serving any notice. Do not use template forms from before 1 May 2026 as these are no longer valid for new APTs.
Effective
2026-05-01
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