How to challenge a rent increase at tribunal

Before you apply: talk to your landlord

Shelter recommends talking to your landlord first. Tell them if the increase is more than rents for similar properties in the area, if you could afford a smaller increase, or if your benefits will not cover it. You do not need to go to a tribunal if you can agree the rent, but get any agreement in writing. Our negotiation guide and letter template can help.

Also check the notice is valid. If it is not, the rent cannot go up on the basis of it, and you can ask the tribunal to decide on validity.

The deadline

GOV.UK says you must apply before the start date of the new rent given in the notice, even if you are still collecting your supporting evidence. Shelter says the same. Put the day before the start date in your calendar as your last possible day, and aim to apply well before it.

Step by step

1. Choose how to apply. You can apply online through GOV.UK's "Apply for an open market rent determination" service, or fill in paper form MR1 and email it to the tribunal regional office listed at the end of the form. If you only want to challenge whether the notice is valid, GOV.UK says you must use the paper MR1.
2. Sort out the fee. The application costs £47. GOV.UK says there is no fee if your notice is dated before 1 May 2026 or if you live in a social rented property. If you have little or no savings and get certain benefits or are on a low income, apply for Help with Fees first.
3. Gather what you need: a copy of your tenancy agreement (or a reason you do not have one), your landlord's name, address and contact details, a copy of the notice, and your Help with Fees reference if you have one.
4. Add evidence about your home and local rents (see below).
5. Send a copy to your landlord. If you apply by email or post, you should send your application and attachments to the landlord. If you apply online, the tribunal sends it for you.
6. Wait for the landlord's response. They have 28 days to respond on form MR2. You can reply on form MR3, which the tribunal sends you.

Evidence that helps

GOV.UK says the tribunal needs as much detail as possible. Try to include:

For comparables, GOV.UK says evidence from actual agreed lettings is stronger than adverts on Rightmove or Zoopla, and market agreements are stronger than housing association rents, fair rent decisions or Local Housing Allowance rates. Our guide to market rent explains how to find them.

What the tribunal decides

The tribunal decides the open market rent: what the landlord could expect if the property were let on the open market. If you also challenge validity, it decides that first. If the notice is invalid, it will not set the rent and you do not need to pay the proposed rent.

Shelter explains that for notices received on or after 1 May 2026, the new rent cannot be more than your landlord asked for, and it normally starts from the next rent period after the tribunal sets the rent. Shelter also confirms you cannot be evicted for challenging a rent increase. Read what happens after you apply in our tribunal guide.

Ask about hardship

If paying the new rent from the proposed date would cause you hardship, GOV.UK says you must give full details of your financial circumstances in the application and explain why. The tribunal can consider postponing the date.

• Notice checked for validity
• Deadline in your calendar (day before the start date)
• Help with Fees applied for, if eligible
• Tenancy agreement and notice copied
• Photos of every room and the outside
• At least three comparable rents
• Copy sent to landlord (if applying by email or post)

A worked example

Priya pays £1,100 a month, due on the 5th. On 1 September 2026 she receives a valid Form 4A proposing £1,400 from 5 November 2026. She finds three similar flats nearby let for £1,150 to £1,225, and her bathroom has an unrepaired leak. She writes to her landlord offering £1,175. He refuses. On 20 October she applies online, pays the £47 fee, uploads photos and her comparables, and asks for an inspection. She keeps paying £1,100 while the tribunal decides.