PRSCheck

How to challenge a rent increase

If your landlord has served a Form 4A notice and you think the new rent is too high, you can ask the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to decide the open-market rent. You do it yourself, without a solicitor, and you must apply before the start date in the notice.

Challenges often succeed in part: in 1,086 published decisions on private tenancies since January 2023, the tribunal set the rent below the landlord's figure in 798, with a median change of -5.3%. Settled cases are never published, so this is not the whole picture.

Start with the free check: is the notice valid, what is your deadline, and what did tribunals decide near you?

Check my rent increase

Step by step

  1. 1

    Check the notice is valid

    A rent increase on a private tenancy must be on Form 4A, give at least two months' notice, start on the first day of a rent period, and not come within 52 weeks of the tenancy starting or of the last increase. If the notice breaks a rule, the increase does not take effect. Tell your landlord in writing why, and keep paying your current rent while it is sorted out.

  2. 2

    Find your deadline

    The tribunal must receive your application before the start date written in the notice (question 4.6). Miss it and you cannot ask the tribunal to set the rent for that notice. Apply early: you can send more evidence later.

  3. 3

    Try to agree a lower figure, in writing

    If you and your landlord agree a lower rent, or agree the rent should not change, before the start date, the notice does not take effect and the agreed rent applies (Housing Act 1988 s13(4)(b)). Tribunal decisions on similar homes nearby are useful here, because they show what a tribunal is likely to accept.

  4. 4

    Gather evidence

    GOV.UK asks for floor plans or a rough layout, a recent photo of each room and of the front of the property, room sizes, the features (heating, glazing, carpets, appliances and who provided them), repairs and improvements, local amenities, and rents for similar nearby homes. It says actual agreed lettings are stronger evidence than adverts on Rightmove or Zoopla.

  5. 5

    Apply online or on form MR1

    The fee is £47 for a notice served on or after 1 May 2026 (none for earlier notices or for social housing). Help with Fees can reduce or remove it if you have little or no savings and receive certain benefits or are on a low income. Attach the notice and your tenancy agreement.

  6. 6

    Copy the landlord in, then reply if they respond

    If you apply by email or post, send your landlord a copy (the online service does this for you). The landlord has 28 days to respond on form MR2, and you can answer on form MR3 within 14 days.

  7. 7

    The decision

    Most cases are decided on the papers; the tribunal arranges an inspection or a hearing only if it needs one. You get a written decision with the rent and the date it starts. If you think the tribunal got the law wrong, you can ask for permission to appeal to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber); the decision explains how and the time limit.

Where to apply

  • Online: apply for an open market rent determination
  • Paper: form MR1 (08.26), emailed to marketrents@justice.gov.uk or posted to First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), Residential Property, Market Rents, PO Box 10057, Leicester LE19 9EP.
  • Tribunal phone line: 0300 303 5857 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm). It cannot give legal advice.

Common questions

What rent do I pay while the tribunal decides?

Your current rent. For a notice served on or after 1 May 2026, the higher rent does not start until the tribunal decides, and it is not backdated. Form 4A says: 'You do not have to pay the new rent amount until the tribunal has made its decision.'

Could the tribunal make my rent higher than the notice?

Not for a notice served on or after 1 May 2026: the new rent is the open-market rent if that is lower than the landlord's proposal, otherwise the proposal (Housing Act 1988 s14ZB(5)). It can be lower than your current rent. For notices served before 1 May 2026 the old rules allowed a higher figure.

What if paying the new rent would cause me hardship?

Say so in section 15 of MR1 and give full details of your income, outgoings and savings, with evidence. If the tribunal agrees it would cause undue hardship, it can set a later start date, which must fall within two months beginning with its decision (s14ZB(3)(c) and (4)).

What evidence carries most weight?

GOV.UK says rents actually agreed for similar nearby homes are stronger than adverts, and that market lettings are usually stronger than housing association rents, fair rent decisions or Local Housing Allowance rates. Tribunals also adjust for missing items such as central heating, white goods or carpets, and for condition.

What if I missed the deadline?

Then the tribunal cannot set the rent for that notice, and the proposed rent applies from the start date if the notice was valid. If the notice was not valid, it never took effect: put your reasons to the landlord in writing and get advice before refusing any payment.

We are joint tenants. Do we all need to apply?

Form MR1 lets one tenant apply and add the other joint tenants, with their permission (note 2.2). The Housing Act 1988 treats 'the tenant' as all joint tenants together (s45(3)), so it is safest for everyone on the tenancy to be named.

Can I challenge the rent I agreed when I moved in?

Yes, within the first six months of the tenancy, using the same MR1 form (Housing Act 1988 s14(A1) and (A2)). The tribunal can only reduce the rent, to the open-market rent if that is lower, and from a date it directs, which cannot be earlier than your application (s14ZA).

Is the process changing?

On 9 September 2026 the government announced that HMRC's Valuation Office will take over rent increase challenges in England. It gave no date. Until then, apply to the First-tier Tribunal.

Sources

Rules checked against the Housing Act 1988 sections 13, 14 and 14ZB as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025, S.I. 2026/421 and S.I. 2026/354, on legislation.gov.uk, and against GOV.UK guidance, Form 4A and Form MR1, on 17 October 2026. Tribunal figures come from First-tier Tribunal decisions published on GOV.UK. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. We store no names or street addresses from the decisions.

PRSCheck is an information service, not a law firm, and this is not legal advice. We do not act for you or contact the tribunal or your landlord. For advice on your own situation, contact Shelter, Citizens Advice or a housing solicitor.