How to apply to the First-tier Tribunal for a rent dispute

Most tenants who think about challenging a rent increase quietly drop the idea because they assume the tribunal is expensive, formal, and will turn against them. None of that is true any more. The First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) costs £47 at most — and often nothing — is designed for self-representation, and — under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 — it can only confirm or lower the rent your landlord asked for.

This is a step-by-step guide for England. (Scotland uses the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) — broadly similar but different procedure. Wales uses the Residential Property Tribunal. Always check your jurisdiction.)

When you can apply

You can apply if your landlord has served a Section 13 notice proposing a rent increase, and you want the tribunal to determine whether the proposed rent matches the open-market rate.

You cannot use this route to:

• Challenge a rent rise that was agreed in writing (you waived the route by agreeing)
• Challenge a fixed-term rent (the rent is locked by contract)
• Reduce a rent mid-tenancy where no Section 13 notice has been served
• Argue about the landlord's costs or the property's condition outside of how condition affects market rent

The hard deadline you can't miss

The application must reach the tribunal before the date the new rent in the Section 13 notice would take effect. Under RRA 2025 that's at least two months after the notice was served, so you have a real window — but don't leave it until the last week.

Miss the deadline and the new rent takes effect automatically. The tribunal can no longer help you with that increase — though if the landlord serves another Section 13 in 12 months' time, you get a fresh window.

The application form (MR1)

From 1 May 2026 the application is “Apply for an open market rent determination” — online via the gov.uk service (recommended), or paper Form MR1 sent to your regional Property Chamber office. Find both by searching gov.uk for “apply for a market rent determination”, or use our tribunal finder for a direct link plus your deadline. (The old “Rents” forms were retired when the Renters' Rights Act rent rules commenced — numbered successor forms now apply to social housing only.)

The application carries a £47 fee, waived if your notice is dated before 1 May 2026 or you rent from a social landlord; the Help with Fees scheme can reduce it to £0 if you have little or no savings.

It asks for:

• Your name and address, the landlord's name and address (from the tenancy or the Section 13 notice itself)
• The property address and the type of tenancy (post-RRA assured periodic for most people in 2026)
• The current rent and the proposed new rent (both from the Section 13)
• The date the new rent is due to take effect (the tribunal deadline)
• A copy of the Section 13 notice itself, attached
• Optional: a brief statement of why you're challenging (saves time later — see the evidence section below)

Filing online is quicker and gives you a confirmation email that proves the submission date; paper applications go by post or email to the regional office covering the property.

Evidence to include

You don't have to submit evidence with the application — the tribunal will direct you to file it later, usually 4–6 weeks before the hearing. But preparing it now means you're not scrambling.

The evidence that matters:

1. Comparable lets in your postcode area

The single most important piece. The tribunal needs 3–5 comparable recent lets — same property type, same bedroom count, same postcode prefix (e.g. SW18, E8, M14), same furnishing level. Sources:

• Rightmove and Zoopla filter by postcode prefix and bedrooms; screenshot listings dated within the last 90 days
• OpenRent for direct landlord listings — these are often closer to true asking rents
• ONS Private Rental Market Statistics for lower-quartile / median / upper-quartile data at the local authority and broad-rental-market-area level
• Land Registry rental data where available
• Our rent checker bundles these into a tribunal-ready evidence pack

2. The Section 13 notice itself

Attach a copy. The tribunal needs to see the proposed figure and the date.

3. Photographs and condition notes (if relevant)

If the property has disrepair issues — damp, mould, broken extractor fans, dated bathroom or kitchen, broken windows — photograph and date them. The tribunal will adjust the market rate downward for below-standard condition.

4. Correspondence with the landlord

Any emails or letters where you've tried to negotiate. Shows good faith and shows the landlord wasn't willing to discuss.

5. A short statement of case (1–2 pages max)

Walk the tribunal through your argument: what the proposed rent is, what the open-market range is for comparables, where the proposed figure sits (e.g. “42% above the upper quartile”), and what you think the correct rent should be. Be specific. Use numbers.

What happens at the hearing

The tribunal hearing for a Section 13 rent case is usually held by paper (the panel reviews written submissions only) or by a short remote video call. In-person hearings are rare for rent cases and only happen if specifically requested.

If there is a video hearing:

• The panel is typically two or three members: a legal chair plus a surveyor or valuer
• It usually lasts 30–60 minutes
• You'll be asked to summarise your evidence and answer questions
• The landlord (or their agent) will do the same
• The panel may have inspected the property beforehand — you'll have been notified if so

Tribunals are inquisitorial, not adversarial. The panel asks questions; you don't cross-examine the landlord. Be calm, factual, and stick to your numbers. For a fuller picture of the process — the stage-by-stage timeline, what the panel weighs, and what a video hearing actually feels like — see what happens at a rent tribunal hearing.

The decision and the new rent

The decision arrives in writing 2–6 weeks after the hearing. The new rent is not backdated: it starts from the date in the Section 13 notice only if the tribunal's decision comes before that date — otherwise it starts from the next payment date after the decision. You keep paying the existing rent until then, so no arrears build up while you wait. (The tribunal can also defer the start by up to two months in cases of undue hardship.)

Both you and the landlord have the right to appeal a tribunal decision on a point of law, but factual or valuation disagreements aren't generally appealable.

What the Renters' Rights Act 2025 changed

Two things. Both matter:

1. The tribunal can only confirm or lower. Before the RRA, the tribunal set whatever rent it thought was the market rate — even if that was higher than what the landlord asked for. Many tenants didn't challenge because of this risk. Post-RRA, the landlord's proposed figure is the ceiling. The downside of applying is effectively zero.

2. Section 21 is gone. The other historic deterrent — landlord serving a no-fault eviction in retaliation — is no longer available. A landlord wanting possession now has to use Section 8 grounds, and “the tenant challenged a rent increase” isn't one of them.

Together these changes turn the tribunal from a high-risk last resort into a low-risk negotiating tool. You can — and most tenants in your position should — at least credibly threaten to use it.

Pre-submission checklist

• Section 13 notice received and copied
• New-rent date diaried as your submission deadline
• Comparable evidence collected (3–5 lets, last 90 days, same postcode prefix and property profile)
• Open-market range identified — lower quartile / median / upper quartile
• Property condition photos taken if relevant
• 1–2 page statement of case drafted
• Tried at least one written negotiation with the landlord (saves tribunal time, demonstrates good faith)
• Application completed — online via the gov.uk market rent determination service, or paper Form MR1 (fee paid or waiver checked)
• Application submitted at least 4 weeks before the new-rent date

For background reading on the underlying law, see our Section 13 challenge guide and the Renters' Rights Act 2025 explained.

Frequently asked questions