Tribunal decisions · England
Since the Renters' Rights Act came into force on 1 May 2026, the only way to raise the rent is a section 13 notice, and the tenant can take any increase to the First-tier Tribunal, which decides the market rent. It cannot go above what the landlord asked for, but it can go below what the tenant already pays. These are the cases decided since 1 May 2026 where it did, with what happened and what each one means for landlords.
The tribunal gave most weight to flats in the same building, advertised at £1,400 to £1,500.
Read the case →The tribunal started from £550 for similar flats and deducted £50 for disrepair, with no evidence from the landlord.
Read the case →The tribunal deducted for poor insulation, failed windows, mould and noise from a £1,550 starting rent for the property in good order.
Read the case →Comparable studios were advertised at £800 to £850, and the landlord did not respond.
Read the case →The tribunal preferred the tenant's comparables because the landlord's appeared to be agreed increases with sitting tenants.
Read the case →The tribunal gave more weight to the landlord's own lower advertised rents for similar houses than to its earlier, higher lets.
Read the case →Asking rents for similar upper-floor one-bedroom flats were about £1,250, so the tribunal set a slightly lower market rent.
Read the case →The tribunal set the rent at £1,475 for good order, then deducted £75 for missing curtains, disrepair and wear and tear.
Read the case →The tribunal relied on the tenant's near identical comparables at £800 a month; the landlord gave no comparables.
Read the case →Identical flats in the block were advertised at £1,400 to £1,450 and the tribunal deducted £70 for the flat's condition.
Read the case →The tribunal deducted 20 per cent for mould, poor ventilation and tenant-supplied carpets and curtains.
Read the case →The house was in poor condition, so the tribunal deducted £540 a month from a £1,800 open market rent.
Read the case →LEXIT shows what your property leaves you after costs, mortgage and tax for each of the next ten years, and what a sale would leave you instead.
Figures and reasons are taken from the published decisions of the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). We do not name tenants or private landlords, or give street addresses. Tribunal decisions turn on their own facts and do not bind other cases. General information, not legal advice.