Manjit Kataora, Foxtons Director of Legal and Compliance, looks at the rise in rent increase challenges since the Renters' Rights Act came into force.
New figures show a significant increase in the number of rent review challenges following the implementation of new rental laws.
A freedom of information request from Landlord Studio reveals there were during May and the first half of June 2026, a 58% increase in the rate of appeals against rent increases proposed by landlords when compared to the three months in the run-up to the new law.
According to the data, the Tribunal received 611 applications during February, March and April compared to 487 during the first 45 days of the new law – a daily rate of 58% higher.
The Renters’ Rights Act preserves the former Section 13 rent increase procedure but with some important changes. Tribunals can no longer increase the amount of rent a tenant must pay. This means that tenants – who only have to pay a £47 fee to kick-start the process – have very little to lose by filing a challenge to your proposed rent increase. Provided they do so before the expiry of the two month notice period their rent is frozen at the old level. And since no increase can take effect until the date decided by the Tribunal following its decision (which can take months) landlords are effectively frozen out of the process and must hope the Tribunal sides with them in the end. But since the Tribunal doesn’t backdate the increase, they still face – even if they win – the risk of unrecoverable inflationary losses.
The new law has made letting property more complex in a number of areas. Rent increases are an example of this. Get the notice wrong and you can’t increase the rent. Pitch the increase too high and you face the risk of a challenge – and a lengthy delay before the increase even stands a chance of taking effect. Fail to keep track of your rent increase date and you face a rent increase ‘lag’ that means sub-optimal performance for your investment be it a single property or an entire portfolio.
Foxtons can track relevant dates for you and advise you on appropriate comparable rental figures for which similar properties have actually been let, arming you with the evidence you need to face any challenge. Further, a detailed per-tenancy report to support proposed increases using not only our own but also credible third-party data helps collate valuable evidence that can help considerably reduce the risk of a challenge in the first place.
For more information about how Foxtons Property Management can help you in this area:
Source: This article draws on the expertise of Foxtons Legal and Compliance team, led by Manjit Kataora, who track incoming lettings legislation so you have the best information in hand right when you need it. If you have any questions on this article, email us to ask a Foxtons expert.
