To challenge a rent increase in England, apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) for an open market rent determination before the start date shown in your landlord’s Form 4A notice. The fee is £47 unless an exemption applies. Form 4A says you do not have to pay the new rent until the tribunal has decided, and the new rent cannot be higher than the figure in the notice.
The short version
- The tribunal must receive your application before the start date in question 4.6 of the notice.
- The tribunal’s test is the open market rent. Your income matters only to the hardship date.
- If you do nothing, the new rent starts on the date in the notice.
Can my landlord put my rent up?
Yes, but only by a Section 13 notice on Form 4A. GOV.UK’s tenant guide says the landlord must give at least two months’ notice, and may raise the rent once a year but not in the first year. The Housing Act 1988 sets the gap between increases at 52 weeks, or 53 in some cases. Our article for landlords covers the timing rules.
A tenancy term that lets the rent rise any other way has no effect (section 13(4A)). On our reading, you do not owe extra rent just because a landlord asks for it in a message.
Is the notice valid?
HMCTS lists what a valid notice must do:
- give at least two months’ notice;
- not raise the rent within 52 weeks of the last increase;
- start the increase on the correct date;
- carry your correct name and address;
- be on the correct form and signed by the landlord.
If the tribunal finds the notice invalid, it does not set a rent and you do not need to pay the proposed one. HMCTS says a validity-only challenge uses the paper MR1 form and, if the notice is held valid, needs a separate rent application. To cover both, challenge validity as part of one open market rent application.
How do I challenge a rent increase?
- Find the deadline. Question 4.6 of Form 4A gives the start date. The tribunal must receive your application before it.
- Gather the papers. HMCTS says you need your tenancy agreement (or a reason you lack one), your landlord’s details and a copy of the notice.
- Apply. Use the HMCTS application page, online or by post or email on form MR1. The fee is £47 (fee 1.7 in the 2026 amending order). You do not need a representative.
- Tell your landlord. Form 4A says to, or they may assume you agree.
- Wait for replies. The landlord has 28 days to respond on form MR2 if they want to, and you can answer on MR3.
- Receive the decision. HMCTS says it is often made on the papers, though the tribunal may inspect or hold a hearing. Ask for written reasons within 14 days to get the rent and its start date in writing; see the appeal section below. There is no separate hearing fee on a £47 application, on our reading of the Fees Order.
What does the tribunal decide?
Under section 14, the tribunal sets the rent the home might reasonably be expected to let for on the open market, by a willing landlord, on an assured periodic tenancy with the same periods and the same terms other than rent. It must ignore the effect of the tenancy being granted to a sitting tenant, value added by some improvements you made, and any loss in value caused by your breaches of the tenancy. Service charges within section 18 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 are not counted as rent, but council tax and furniture payments are.
Form 4A adds that the tribunal can consider the condition of the property. Affordability is not part of the test. If paying from the start date would cause you undue hardship, the tribunal can direct a different start date, which must fall before the end of two months from its decision (section 14ZB(3)(c) and (4)). HMCTS says to give full details of your finances in the application.
Under section 14ZB(5) the new rent is the open market rent if that is lower than the proposed rent, and otherwise the proposed rent. Challenging cannot push the rent above the notice. On our reading the section sets no floor at your current rent, so the tribunal’s figure could land above or below it.
What evidence should I bring?
HMCTS asks for as much detail as possible:
- a layout, room sizes and a recent photo of each room;
- features such as heating, glazing and appliances, and who supplied them;
- repairs or improvements, and who did and paid for them;
- rents of similar nearby properties in size, features and location.
HMCTS says details from agents or sites such as Rightmove and Zoopla can help, but actual agreed lettings are stronger evidence, and usually stronger than housing association rents, earlier fair rent decisions or local housing allowance rates.
Our Enfield rents article sets out the ONS borough averages. The ONS bulletin says its England data are achieved rents for new and existing tenancies, so on our reading it gives background but cannot prove what your own home would let for.
When would the new rent start? A worked example
This uses invented dates and round numbers. A monthly tenancy began on 1 June 2026, with rent of £1,000 due on the 1st. The landlord serves Form 4A on 20 March 2027 proposing £1,200 from 1 June 2027, which is 52 weeks and one day after the tenancy began and more than two months after service. You apply on 5 April 2027.
| Tribunal decides | Open market rent it finds | Rent from | Rent then |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 May 2027 | £1,100 | 1 June 2027, the date in the notice | £1,100 |
| 12 July 2027 | £1,300 | 1 August 2027, the first rent period starting after the decision | £1,200 |
In the second row the notice date has passed, so section 14ZB(3)(b) starts the new rent at the first period beginning on or after the decision. The £1,300 is capped at the £1,200 proposed, and on our reading you keep paying £1,000 until 1 August 2027.
What if I do nothing, or disagree with the decision?
Do nothing and section 13(4) makes the new rent start as the notice says. Form 4A says you can instead agree a change or delay in writing. If you claim Universal Credit or Housing Benefit, it says to report the rise once it starts. Rent that goes unpaid can lead to a possession claim on the arrears grounds, which our arrears article for landlords explains.
An appeal needs permission and goes to the Upper Tribunal on a point of law only (Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, section 11). In rent cases the tribunal first sends a decision notice and tells you that you can ask for written reasons. Ask within 14 days (rule 36(2)(b) and (4)). The 28 days in rule 52 run from the date it sends those reasons. A late application needs a request for more time (rule 52(4)).
Will the Valuation Office replace the tribunal?
On 9 September 2026 GOV.UK announced that HMRC’s Valuation Office will become responsible for decisions on challenges to rent increases in England, and that until then renters must still apply to the First-tier Tribunal. The release gives no start date.
Where can I get help?
HMCTS says the tribunal cannot give legal advice and points you to a law centre or Citizens Advice for free advice. Our renters’ rights guide covers your other protections, and tenant fees lists what else you can be charged. If you decide to move instead, you can register to rent with us.
Questions readers ask
How long do I have to challenge a rent increase?
The tribunal must have your application before the start date for the new rent given in the notice. HMCTS says to apply before that date even if you are still collecting evidence. Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 says the new rent takes effect as the notice states unless you apply to the tribunal before the new period begins.
Do I pay the higher rent while the tribunal decides?
Form 4A says you do not have to pay the new rent amount until the tribunal has made its decision, and GOV.UK said on 9 September 2026 that renters who challenge will not have to pay the higher rent until the final decision. On our reading, section 14ZB does not backdate the new rent either.
Can the tribunal put my rent above what my landlord asked for?
The tribunal can find an open market rent above your landlord’s figure, but under section 14ZB(5) the rent you then pay is the rent proposed in the notice. If its figure is lower, the lower figure applies. Form 4A says you will not be required to pay more than the landlord first proposed. The result can be above or below your current rent.
How much does it cost to challenge a rent increase?
The tribunal fee is £47 under the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Fees Order 2013 as amended in 2026. HMCTS says there is no fee if the notice is dated before 1 May 2026 or you live in a social rented property, and you may get help with the fee if you have little or no savings and a low income or certain benefits.
Can my landlord raise the rent more than once a year?
Not through the Section 13 process. GOV.UK says a landlord can increase the rent once a year and not in the first year of the tenancy (the first-year bar does not apply to a statutory periodic tenancy, section 13(2)(b)). The Act sets 52 weeks between increases, or 53 in some cases, and Form 4A must give at least two months. A term allowing rises in any other way has no effect.
Sources
- GOV.UK, Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for tenants, Rent increases, published 7 April 2026, read on 17 October 2026.
- HM Courts and Tribunals Service, Apply for an open market rent determination, published 14 January 2026, last updated 10 August 2026.
- GOV.UK, Form 4A, landlord’s notice proposing a new rent, via Assured tenancy forms, May 2026.
- GOV.UK, Stronger protections and greater confidence for renters, 9 September 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk, Housing Act 1988, section 13, section 14 and section 14ZB, read on 17 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk, S.I. 2026/485, First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Fees (Amendment) Order 2026, made 30 April 2026, and S.I. 2026/421, regulation 8, read on 17 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk, Property Chamber Rules 2013, rules 36 and 52 and Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, section 11, read on 17 October 2026.
- Office for National Statistics, Private rent and house prices, UK: September 2026, released 16 September 2026.
