If a tenant disputes a rent adjustment.
I am unclear how quickly a hearing takes place and if it is in a court. I understand it costs a tenant £47 to dispute a rent adjustment and the rent adjustment cant be backdated before the hearing date.
So if it takes a few months to get to a review. Lets make up a period of 6 months because I don’t know how long it will be.
The review states the new rent is fair and awarded but the tenant gains 6 months at a lower rent for the outlay of £47.
Next year the tenant could do it again and then gain another period of low rent. Then the year after that and so on.
Does anyone know how this works and if this situation is a likely possibility.
Yes, that will be a possibility from the 1st of May
@Mike44
It’s possible and there is an article from ‘landlord today’ from 21 Nov 2025 about this
“Tribunals risk being overwhelmed by Renters Reform Act fallout – claim”
The reality is most tenants and most landlords don’t want to go to court about stuff - expensive slow and stressful. It fundamentally undermines their business relationship (which is what a tenancy agreement is). Tenants have previously been able to challenge rent rises very few did under existing system tho of course they faced the risk of s21.
There are bound to be some tenants who try it. Just like there are bound to be some tenants who try to get keys without paying even 1st months rent before the end of move in day. And bound to be some LLs oblivious of RRA who incorrectly try to enforce automatic cpi increase in rent clauses or fall foul of RRA in other ways. But if tenants en masse queried their rises via the Tribunal it would overwhelm the courts and the govt would need to find another solution.
Best
Its a deliberate tactic by Government to slow down the rate of rent inflation. Some lawyers are calling it “rent suppression” rather than rent controls. I also think your timescales sound about right, at least initially. They may get longer if more tenants avail themselves of the option.
@Mike44
According to shelter
In England, tenants challenging a Section 13 rent increase through the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) wait an average of 24 weeks for a hearing
(2023-24 data)
‘'Rent increases: the rules and what’s changing’
Even Shelter comment
“Potential increase in tribunal challenges
Very few tenants currently challenge a section 13 rent increase. Between 2024 and 2025, only 1,532 tenants applied to the tribunal for a rental determination.
Once fewer risks are attached to challenging an increase, we may see a rise in tenants’ confidence to use the tribunal system. However, the tribunal process will still require time and effort, so the overall impact will depend on tenants’ engagement.
It’s unclear how prepared the tribunals are for a potential upsurge in rent determination requests.”
If tenants challenge a LLs rent increase year after year even when the LL has proposed a fair increase, the LL will eventually stop making any profit from only getting half the annual rent increase so will seek possession in order to sell the property. Just like if the tenants cause extensive damage and are poor so there is no prospect of recovering from them (as now). Not clear how the Tribunal/courts will feel about any such vexatious behaviour that abuses the process. Of course ideally there will be a public record and then LLs will be able to vet and choose to not take a risk on such tenants, just like there is a database of rogue LLs.
Just like many other RRA measures LLs, LLs will become more risk averse will be more likely to get RGI, spend more on inspections. More will quit. These all imply higher rents and more corporate LLs and fewer one property private LLs. The losers will be tenants as corporate LLs will have less personal interest in providing a good service to tenants. So as ever the actions of a few bad tenants will harm the rest. That’s the real story here.