Why can’t I find Section 8 or Section 13 notices in The Letting Centre documents pack?
Section 8 possession notices and Section 13 rent increase notices (including Form 4A) are not available within The Letting Centre documents pack in Alto.
These are statutory notices published by the UK Government. The Government can amend them at short notice, so The Letting Centre does not hold or replicate a copy - instead, both they and Alto direct you to download the current version straight from the Government website each time you serve a notice. This ensures you're always using a valid, up-to-date form.
Note
Always download a fresh copy of the notice from the Government website at the point of serving it. Don't reuse a previously saved version or a third-party replica, as it may no longer be the current, valid form
What should I do in the meantime?
You can still serve Section 8 and Section 13 notices without delay by completing them outside of Alto using the latest documents from the Government website:
- Information Sheet 2026 - the Government guidance document that must be provided to tenants for Assured Periodic Tenancies
- Section 8 notice - to seek possession of a property on specific legal grounds (i.e. rent arrears, breach of tenancy)
- Section 13 rent increase process (Form 4A) - to propose a rent increase on an Assured Periodic Tenancy
The Section 13 process and Form 4A are found on the Government's Assured tenancy forms for privately rented properties from 1 May 2026 page, linked from the rent increase guidance above.
Once you've downloaded the documents, save them in a known location on your computer and complete them as you normally would (pdf or document editor).
You can then upload the completed documents against the tenancy record in Alto by following the steps in Uploading documents to a tenancy.
Once the documents are linked to the tenancy record, you may also wish to add a Timeline entry to record that this has been completed. To do this, select + alongside Recent Activity on the Overview, then add a File Note.
Will Alto or The Letting Centre provide a copy of the Section 13 Form 4A?
No. Neither Alto nor The Letting Centre stores a copy of the Section 13 Form 4A. The same applies to the Section 8 possession notice.
Form 4A is the Government's prescribed form for proposing a rent increase on an assured periodic tenancy. Because the Government can make minor amendments to these statutory forms at short notice, The Letting Centre's guidance is to download the form directly from the Government website every time you issue a rent increase, rather than relying on a stored or replicated copy that may have fallen out of date. This is why a copy isn't held in Alto.
While the statutory notice itself must come from the Government website, The Letting Centre's Forms and Agreements pack does include a covering letter to enclose with a Section 13 notice. See The Letting Centre - Forms and Agreements 2026.
Can Section 8 and Section 13 notices be added to Alto with merge codes?
No, not currently.
Section 8 and Section 13 notices can't currently be added to Alto as merge coded templates, because the format of the Government-issued documents can't be replicated in Alto's document template tools.
For now, we recommend that you:
- Download the latest documents from the Government website (linked above)
- Complete the documents outside of Alto (pdf or document editor)
- Upload the completed documents against the tenancy record in Alto by following the steps in Uploading documents to a tenancy
- Share the documents from Alto where required
Will Section 8 and Section 13 notices be available in Alto in future?
We’re investigating the best way to make these notices available in Alto.
We don’t currently have a confirmed timescale to share. We will update this article and communicate directly with you via email as soon as further information is available.
-
Related Help Centre articles that you may find useful.
The Letting Centre - Forms and Agreements 2026
The Letting Centre - Using ESignatures with the Forms and Agreements
Renters' Rights Act: Key changes