Is my rent increase fair?
Updated . Checked against official sources.
Your landlord can only put the rent up once a year, with at least 2 months' notice on an official form (Form 4A). If you think the new rent is more than your home would rent for on the open market, you can ask a tribunal to decide, and it can't set a rent higher than your landlord asked for. Start by comparing the increase with local rents.
Compare your new rent with local rents
Has my landlord raised the rent properly?
- No more than once a year, and not in the first year of your tenancy.
- Using Form 4A, the official notice proposing a new rent.
- With at least 2 months' notice before the new rent starts.
- Not using a rent review clause in your tenancy agreement. Those only count for notices given before 1 May 2026.
If the increase didn't follow these rules, it may not be valid. Get advice from Citizens Advice or Shelter before refusing to pay it. You and your landlord can also agree a new rent between you.
How do I challenge a rent increase?
- Apply before the new rent starts. Use Form MR1 to ask the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) for an open market rent decision. You can apply online. It costs £47, and help with fees is available.
- Gather evidence. Photos and details of your home, and rents for similar homes nearby. Rents people actually agreed count for more than adverts, but sites like Rightmove and Zoopla help.
- Keep paying your current rent. You don't pay the higher rent until the tribunal decides, and it can't be backdated.
- The tribunal decides. It may inspect your home or hold a hearing, or decide on the papers. If it finds the open market rent is lower than your landlord asked, you pay the lower figure. It can't set the rent higher than the landlord proposed.
- If paying straight away would cause hardship, the tribunal can delay the new rent by up to 2 months from its decision.
The government announced on 9 September 2026 that challenges will move to HMRC's Valuation Office. No date has been set, so for now they still go to the tribunal.
Just moved in and think the starting rent was too high? You can ask the tribunal to decide within the first 6 months of your tenancy.
Get told when you can check your landlord
The government has said renters will be able to check whether a landlord is registered. We'll email you when that's possible, and if the rules on what you can see change. Nothing else.
Questions renters ask
How often can my landlord increase my rent?
Once a year at most, and not in the first year of the tenancy. They must use Form 4A and give at least 2 months' notice.
How do I challenge a rent increase?
Apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) using Form MR1 before the new rent is due to start. It costs £47. The tribunal decides the open market rent and can't set it higher than your landlord proposed.
Do I have to pay the higher rent while I challenge it?
No. If you apply before the start date, you keep paying your current rent until the tribunal decides, and the new rent isn't backdated.
Can the tribunal increase my rent even more?
No. If it decides the open market rent is higher than your landlord asked for, you pay the amount your landlord proposed.
Can my landlord use a rent review clause?
Not any more. Rent review clauses only count for notices given before 1 May 2026. Increases now go through the Form 4A process.