Private renting
Rent disputes
You can apply to a tribunal to decide on certain rent disputes in England.
What you can apply to a tribunal about depends on what type of tenancy you have.
There are different ways to:
- solve rent disputes in Scotland
- solve rent disputes in Wales
- solve rent disputes in Northern Ireland
Rent increase
Your landlord needs to follow the correct process to increase your rent. The rules are different depending on whether you have:
You can only apply to a tribunal if your rent has been increased through the ‘section 13 process’.
If it has, you’ll get a ‘section 13 notice’ from your landlord which will tell you more about applying to the tribunal.
You must apply before the new rent is due to start.
New rental terms
You can ask the tribunal to decide new rental terms.
If you think your rent is high when you start a tenancy
You may be able to apply to the tribunal if you think your rent is above the rent for similar properties in the area. Contact Citizens Advice for advice.
You must apply within 6 months of your tenancy starting.
Rent set by rent officer
Contact the Valuation Office Agency if you have a regulated or protected tenancy.
If a rent officer has set your rent before, the only way to increase it is to have a rent officer set a new rent. If a rent officer has not set your rent before, they can set a rent limit. The landlord cannot charge more.
You can appeal against a rent officer’s decision. They may pass your case to a tribunal, which can make a final decision on the rent.