Challenge your rent increase.

Take control of your rent increase by starting a challenge - for free.

Free rent increase challenge

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Estimate. Assumes tribunal takes six months to set the rent.

Guided path

How the tribunal process works

One clear route from notice to outcome. This is the usual path where the tribunal sets the rent.

Hand-drawn illustration of a tenant checking a notice with a calendar and magnifying glass

Step 1: Confirm the notice is usable before you challenge

Check the form type, the proposed rent and the effective date first. If the notice is defective, your landlord may need to serve a fresh notice and the increase may not take effect.

  • • Check that it is a Section 13 Form 4A notice.
  • • Keep a copy of the notice and when you received it.
  • • Put the effective date in your calendar straight away.
Start free challenge Read what makes a notice invalid
Hand-drawn illustration of rent comparisons, a small chart and property notes

Step 2: Get a realistic market-rent starting point

The tribunal is interested in open-market rent, not whether the increase feels fair. Start with comparable local rents, then add any property details that make your home worth less or more than those examples.

  • • Look for similar size, condition and location.
  • • Save a few comparable listings with dates and screenshots.
  • • Note issues like disrepair, missing amenities or poor layout.
Estimate market rent See what evidence the tribunal values
Hand-drawn illustration of a tenant submitting a Rents 1 application

Step 3: File the application before the deadline passes

Getting the application in on time matters more than making it perfect on day one. Once you have applied before the effective date, your current rent stays in place while the tribunal deals with the case.

  • • Do not wait for every last document if the deadline is close.
  • • Keep the tribunal confirmation email or reference number.
  • • You can usually send extra evidence afterwards if asked.
Prepare a Rents 1 application Read the full tribunal guide
Hand-drawn illustration of a tribunal panel reviewing papers at a table

Step 4: The tribunal looks at the evidence from both sides

Many cases are decided on the papers, though some involve a hearing or directions asking for more information. Clear, short submissions usually help more than long arguments.

  • • Reply promptly to any tribunal directions.
  • • Keep your points factual and tied to market rent.
  • • Use organised evidence rather than large unlabelled bundles.
See how the tribunal process usually runs Review evidence tips before a hearing
Hand-drawn illustration of a tenant reading a tribunal rent determination

Step 5: Read the determination carefully and use the stated date

The tribunal can confirm the proposed figure or reduce it, but it cannot set a higher rent than your landlord asked for. The decision will also state when the new rent begins to apply.

  • • Check the new rent amount and the effective date.
  • • Keep paying the current rent until the decision says otherwise.
  • • Store the determination with your tenancy records.
See typical tribunal timings Check what rent to pay during the case

Your security

You cannot be evicted for challenging

No-fault evictions are abolished. Your landlord cannot retaliate.

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Your exposure

The rent can't go above what was proposed

Worst case at tribunal: the proposed figure stands. It can never go higher.

Person reading a letter at a table with an umbrella blocking a rising arrow

During the process

Keep paying your current rent throughout

No backdating, no arrears risk while the tribunal decides.

Two flatmates in their kitchen with a calendar and stack of coins floating nearby

The official route, with the paperwork made clearer

Use the tribunal pathway first: check the notice, compare the rent, and prepare the Rents 1 application if you decide to challenge.

Check the notice

Confirm the Form 4A is valid and capture the effective date before you decide.

Check my notice

Estimate fair rent

Use official VOA and EPC data as a baseline before gathering tribunal evidence.

Compare rents

Challenge the rent increase

Prepare the Rents 1 form used to apply to the First-tier Tribunal.

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Personalised Recommendation

Best for most tenants — checks your notice and tells you whether to accept, negotiate, or challenge.

  • • Checks notice validity and timing
  • • Compares the proposed rent to market data
  • • Tells you whether to accept, negotiate, or challenge
  • • Plain-English next steps for each path
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Coming soon

Free

Evidence Builder

For tenants preparing stronger comparable-rent evidence before tribunal.

  • • Guided comparable search checklist
  • • Structured evidence pack template
  • • Tribunal-focused formatting prompts
  • • Downloadable evidence summary sheet

Coming soon

Free

Challenge Pack

For tenants who want end-to-end support preparing a tribunal-ready file.

  • • Step-by-step Rents 1 preparation flow
  • • Completed draft and attachment checklist
  • • Timeline prompts before deadline dates
  • • Final submission-readiness review

Questions after the notice lands

What tenants ask first

Check the effective date, the proposed rent, and whether the notice uses the correct Form 4A. If the notice is defective, your old rent may continue and your landlord may need to start again.
You must apply to the First-tier Tribunal before the effective date on the notice. Once that date passes without a challenge, the new rent takes effect automatically.
There is no fixed percentage cap, but the proposed rent can be challenged if it is above open-market rent for a similar property. The tribunal can confirm or reduce the proposed rent, but it cannot set it higher.
If you apply before the effective date, keep paying your current rent while the tribunal decides. The proposed rent does not take effect during the pending application.
No. If the deadline is close, apply before the effective date and continue gathering evidence afterwards. Useful evidence includes comparable local rents, photos, and details about the property condition.

Decide your next step
before the deadline

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