Filling out Form 4a for rent increase?

Back in July/Aug 2023, I had reason to sack the letting agents and bring the management in-house. I’d already decided that, as tenants left to sell, BTL life is just becoming too complex.

Tenants were happy that I synchronised everything to the 1st of September, mainly because they got a few months at the old rate, etc. Between then and now, some have moved on, and I’ve sold or am selling. Last year, suspecting His Majesty’s Government were going to do something nasty, I moved a personal rental into the company.

Under Section 4 of Form 4A, I’m asked to provide the initial tenancy start date and the date of the first rent increase after 11 February 2003. It appears that this information is used to determine whether a proposed rent increase is being made within 52 weeks of the previous one.

The problem is that I only keep records going back a limited number of years, and tenancy dates have also changed by mutual agreement on a few occasions. Should I simply use September 2023 as the relevant date and ignore anything before then, or should I estimate the details from 5, 14, and 22 years ago as accurately as possible?

Can anyone also confirm what the tenant’s signature at the bottom of page 9 of Form 4A relates to?

Is it if the tenant accepts the rent rise or only if he’s going to fight it? If the latter, then there does not appear to be a legally binding signature required anywhere.

TIA,

Tim