Check the date.
Keep your options open.

This guide focuses on private assured tenancies in England. An assured tenancy is a type of rented home with legal protections; the label on an agreement is not conclusive.

Get specialist advice if you are a lodger, rent from a council or housing association, live in halls, have an older regulated tenancy (with rent governed by different rules), or are unsure. A starting-rent challenge is also a different route.

Find help checking your housing status →

1. Check the route and apply before the proposed start date. Use the HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) current online service or linked paper form. Explain any missing documents; do not wait silently for evidence.
2. Check what you are asking the tribunal to decide. Notice validity means whether the notice meets legal requirements. A market-rent determination decides the rent. A validity-only application has a different paper route: follow current HMCTS guidance.
3. Read the directions. These are the tribunal’s instructions and deadlines. Keep records and send documents to everyone required.
4. Prepare for the decision. The tribunal can use written evidence, an inspection or a hearing. Follow the decision’s effective date and seek advice promptly if something seems wrong.

The question is what a similar home would rent for in its actual condition and on comparable terms. Find close matches and explain differences.

• Agreed rents: dated rental agreements or statements showing what was actually let. Ask permission before sharing someone else’s details.
• Advertisements: save the date, price and description. An asking price is not proof of what a tenant agreed to pay.
• Your home: room sizes, photos, repair correspondence and who supplied the furniture or appliances.

Published decisions can help you understand reasoning; another property’s outcome does not guarantee yours.

Try the existing Resist Rent Rises checker or explore published decisions with Rent Rise Check. These are external services with their own privacy terms.

The current market-rent application fee is £47, with exemptions and Help with Fees available.

We do not estimate eligibility. Gather the information the official service asks for:

• Your savings and investments, including relevant partner information.
• Your benefits and any earnings conditions.
• The income periods, household details and supporting documents specified in the current guidance.

Check eligibility and start the official Help with Fees application → Read EX160A guidance before entering figures. The official service assesses your application; there is no local fee calculator on this site.

Hardship means serious difficulty caused by when the rent becomes payable. If requesting a delay, explain your financial circumstances and provide evidence. It does not turn the market-rent test into an affordability test.

HMCTS says a decision made before the proposed start normally leaves that proposed date in place; a later decision normally takes effect from the next payment date. Starting-rent challenges follow a separate rule. Read the decision’s effective date and ask an adviser if the rent period and payment day differ. This is not a promise that every case starts after the decision.

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.

Check the official Form 4A notes (PDF) for the 52-/53-week timing rules. Use the current official application route and free help. Do not wait for a future system.

• Official Form 4A and timing notes (PDF) — MHCLG; checked 4 November 2026.
• Apply for an open market rent determination — HM Courts & Tribunals Service
• Assured periodic tenancies: rent increases — MHCLG
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025, section 7 — UK Parliament
• Help with court and tribunal fees — HM Courts & Tribunals Service
• How to apply for Help with Fees: EX160A — HM Courts & Tribunals Service
• Stronger protections and greater confidence for renters — MHCLG
• Check and challenge your rent — Resist Rent Rises
• Housing advice — Citizens Advice

Information checked 4 November 2026. Read the method, full registry and limits →