What evidence should I submit to the tribunal?

Comparable lettings: evidence of what similar nearby properties have recently rented for. Actual tenancy agreements carry more weight than listing evidence. Include relevant property photos, room dimensions and features with your application.

Do I need a RICS surveyor or professional valuation?

No. There is no requirement to instruct a RICS surveyor. Listings can help establish context, but they do not prove the agreed rent; tenancy agreements or an agent's confirmation are stronger.

What does the tribunal ignore when setting rent?

Three things: any sitting-tenant discount, any improvements you funded yourself, and any reduction in value caused by your own breach of the tenancy. These are the statutory disregards under Section 14 of the Housing Act 1988.

What if I don't submit any comparables?

The tribunal will use its own knowledge of local rental markets. It won't leave the question unanswered, but the outcome is less predictable, and you have less basis to appeal if you disagree with the result.

What evidence does the tribunal use to set rent?

To challenge a rent increase, you need evidence showing what your property would reasonably let for on the open market. This is the legal standard under Section 14 of the Housing Act 1988. The question is what a new tenant would pay for an equivalent property advertised today, not what feels fair in the abstract.

Evidence the tribunal accepts

Evidence type	Weight
Actual tenancy agreements for comparable lets	Strongest
Agent letters confirming agreed rents	Strong
Rightmove / Zoopla listings (explicitly accepted)	Medium: asking prices, not agreed rents
Estate agent valuation letter	Medium: opinion evidence
ONS / VOA rental data	Background context only
Housing association rents	Weak: set by policy, not market
Local Housing Allowance rates	Weakest: set at the 30th percentile by design

Actual agreed lettings outweigh asking prices. A tenancy agreement or a letter from a local letting agent confirming what a comparable property actually rented for carries more weight than a Rightmove screenshot.

What the tribunal disregards

Three factors must be ignored when the tribunal sets market rent:

Disregard	What it means in practice
Sitting-tenant discount	The rent is assessed for a hypothetical new tenant, not your existing relationship with the landlord
Improvements you paid for	If you fitted a new kitchen at your own cost, the tribunal values the property as if it hadn’t been installed
Value reduction from your own breaches	Damage or deterioration you caused doesn’t reduce the market rent figure

The current rent level, the size of the proposed increase, and personal financial circumstances are also irrelevant. The exercise is purely about what the open market would produce for a new letting.

How to find comparables

Search Rightmove and Zoopla for recently let properties with:

Location: same street or neighbourhood; within ~0.5 miles in urban areas
Property type and bedrooms: flat vs house matters; floor level matters for flats
Condition and furnishing: note any differences from your property
Date: as recent as possible; rental markets move quickly

Use “Let Agreed” filters where available, but treat the displayed figure cautiously: it may still be the asking rent rather than the final agreed amount. An actual tenancy agreement or confirmation from an agent is stronger evidence of an achieved rent.

How to document your evidence

Screenshot each listing: address, rent, bedrooms, property type, date, photos
Make a short table of all comparables, noting any differences from your property
Note adjustments explicitly: “this property has off-street parking; mine does not”
Submit your evidence with the application, or as directed by the tribunal. Evidence produced late can be given less weight or excluded

Upper Tribunal decisions have consistently held that comparables must be disclosed in advance, not produced at the last minute.

What happens if you submit no evidence

The tribunal must still decide the application, but its membership varies and you should not assume it will fill gaps in your evidence. With no comparables from you, the outcome is harder to predict. Good evidence gives the tribunal a clearer basis for comparing your home with the market.

Once you have a few good comparables, use them to decide whether to start a tribunal challenge before the notice deadline passes.