Renters’ rights / England / First release
Got a rent increase?
Act before the start date.
Find your deadline. Understand your options. Get support. Then help change the rules that leave too many homes unaffordable.
The printed start date matters. Do not wait for a complete evidence pack before checking how to apply.
A tribunal is an independent body that can decide what a comparable home would rent for.
Knowing your rights helps today. Organising together can change what happens next.
01 / Know your next step
Know your next step
Scope, deadline, evidence, fees and a printable checklist.
The wider ActUnderstand your rights ↗What is in force, what is announced and what we propose.
Learn the differenceMarket ≠ affordable ↗What rent figures mean, and what a tribunal cannot fix.
Organise togetherMake a concrete demand ↗Action for your council, the Mayor and your MP.
02 / A lower proposal can still mean a higher rent
A lower proposal can still mean a higher rent
A landlord proposes a new rent. The tribunal sets a lower figure. That is a reduction from the proposal—it may still be more than the renter pays now.
And a rent that matches the local market can still leave too little money for food, energy, transport or care. The right to challenge matters. It does not settle the question of what a home should cost.
03 / Help comes first
Help comes first
04 / A change to watch
A change to watch
The government has announced that HMRC’s Valuation Office will make initial rent determinations; renters must continue to apply to the First-tier Tribunal while reforms are developed.
The guide follows today’s application route. The announcement is not a reason to wait.
09 / Sources for this page
Sources for this page
- Apply for an open market rent determination — HM Courts & Tribunals Service
- Assured periodic tenancies: rent increases — MHCLG
- Stronger protections and greater confidence for renters — MHCLG
- Private rental affordability: 2024 — Office for National Statistics
- Check and challenge your rent — Resist Rent Rises
Information checked 4 November 2026. Read the method, full registry and limits →