What happens when a tenant in England challenges a rent increase

From the landlord’s notice to the tribunal’s decision: what usually happens, how long it takes and how much the rent goes up. Based on 855 decisions from the past 12 months.

Decisions made between 29 September 2025 and 28 September 2026. Updated regularly as new decisions are published.

A typical case

114 days from the landlord’s notice to the decision

  1. day 0Landlord sends notice
  2. day 30Tenant applies
  3. day 114Decision, then the new rent starts
71%of challenges ended with a lower rent than the landlord asked forFrom 713 decisions
84 daysit typically takes the tribunal to make a decisionFrom 762 decisions
1 May 2026

What the Renters’ Rights Act changed

  • The landlord has to give two months’ notice of a rent increase, not one.
  • The tribunal can’t set a rent above the one the landlord asked for.
  • The new rent starts after the decision, not before.

These rules apply to notices sent from 1 May 2026. A case takes months, so most decisions so far are still under the old rules: 80 of the 855 on this page are under the new ones. The figures include both.

  1. Step 1: The landlord sends a notice

    day 0

    To increase the rent on a rolling tenancy, the landlord has to send a formal notice, called a section 13 notice. It says what the new rent will be and when it starts. That date has to be at least two months away.

    +15.2%

    the typical increase landlords asked for. Half asked for more than this, half for less.

    How much landlords asked for

    The increase landlords asked for, on the rent being paid, over 756 decisions
    Typical case+15.2%
    Middle half+7.7% to +33.3%
    Nine in ten below+57.1%

    The dark tick is the typical case. Half of all cases fall inside the box. Nine in ten fall to the left of where the thin line ends.

    Based on the 756 decisions that give both the old rent and the rent asked for. Drawn on the same scale as step 5, so the two can be compared.

  2. Step 2: The tenant applies to the tribunal

    day 30

    The tenant has to apply before the new rent is due to start. Applying costs £47.

    30 days

    the typical time between the landlord’s notice and the tenant applying.

    Decisions the tribunal publishes each month

    Decisions published each month
    MonthDecisions
    September 202341
    October 202355
    November 202345
    December 202346
    January 202457
    February 202445
    March 202440
    April 202436
    May 202462
    June 202445
    July 202478
    August 202449
    September 202446
    October 202468
    November 202438
    December 202436
    January 202552
    February 202557
    March 202549
    April 202549
    May 202569
    June 202543
    July 202548
    August 202548
    September 202545
    October 202531
    November 202530
    December 202547
    January 202642
    February 202636
    March 202649
    April 202638
    May 2026116
    June 2026154
    July 2026186
    August 202691
    September 202625

    Cases rose sharply after 1 May 2026: 38 decisions in April, 186 in July. The last two months are drawn as outlines because gov.uk hasn’t finished publishing them.

  3. Step 3: The wait

    days 30 – 114

    Then it goes quiet while the tribunal deals with the case. How long that takes depends mostly on which tribunal office handles it.

    84 days

    from applying to the decision, in a typical case.

    How long a decision takes, in days

    Days from applying to the decision, over 762 decisions
    Typical case84
    Middle half62 to 135
    Nine in ten below221

    The dark tick is the typical case. Half of all cases fall inside the box. Nine in ten fall to the left of where the thin line ends.

    By tribunal office

    Days from applying to the decision, by tribunal office
    OfficeTypical caseMiddle halfDecisions
    Birmingham18988 to 267108
    London9164 to 158204
    Cambridge7767 to 109111
    Havant7662 to 112156
    Manchester7254 to 101183

    Which office handles a case depends on where the home is. Birmingham is the slowest, at 189 days in a typical case; Manchester is the quickest, at 72.

  4. Step 4: The decision

    day 114

    Under the new rules, the tribunal can’t set a rent higher than the one the landlord proposed in the section 13 notice. To decide, it works out what the home would rent for on the open market today. Most cases are decided on paper, without a hearing: the tribunal reads what the tenant and the landlord send in.

    71%

    of decisions set a lower rent than the landlord asked for.

    The rent the tribunal set, compared with what the landlord asked for

    The rent the tribunal set, compared with what the landlord asked for, over 713 decisions
    OutcomeShare of decisions
    0% to 2% lower4%
    2% to 4% lower13%
    4% to 6% lower12%
    6% to 8% lower10%
    8% to 10% lower5%
    10% to 12% lower6%
    12% to 14% lower5%
    14% to 16% lower4%
    16% to 18% lower2%
    18% to 20% lower1%
    20% to 22% lower2%
    22% to 24% lower2%
    24% to 26% lower0.6%
    26% to 28% lower0.8%
    28% to 30% lower0.4%
    30% to 32% lower0.7%
    32% to 34% lower0.6%
    34% to 36% lower0.3%
    36% to 38% lower0.8%
    38% to 40% lower0.1%
    40% or more lower2%
    Same as asked23%
    Higher than asked6%
    Typical cut7.5%

    Based on the 713 decisions that give both figures. Each bar is a 2% step; the last one is everything 40% or more below.

    1 May 2026

    The 6% of decisions that set a higher rent were all under the old rules, before 1 May 2026. Under the new rules, the tribunal can’t set a rent higher than the one the landlord proposed in the section 13 notice.

  5. Step 5: The new rent starts

    from day 114

    The new rent starts the next time rent is due after the decision. So if rent is due on the 1st of each month and the decision comes on 20 March, the new rent starts on 1 April. Until then the tenant pays the old rent, however long the case takes.

    +8.2%

    the typical increase tenants ended up paying, compared with their old rent.

    How much the rent went up in the end

    The increase tenants ended up paying, on the rent being paid, over 710 decisions
    Typical case+8.2%
    Middle half+3.4% to +20.6%
    Nine in ten below+41.2%

    Same scale as step 1. Landlords typically asked for 15.2% more; tenants typically ended up paying 8.2% more. Even when the tribunal cuts the landlord’s figure, the rent usually still goes up.