Government under fire from tenant group over rent tribunal fees

A tenant group has slammed the government over the fees tenants must pay to access rent tribunals.

A story in the Mirror claims the Renters’ Reform Coalition has written to Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook, claiming tribunals will be the only way tenants can challenge rent rises and the fees will “undermine security for millions of renters”.

The news comes after industry experts have warned tenants challenging rent increases under new reforms could overwhelm courts.

Easier for rogue landlords to threaten tenants

According to the Mirror, a poll by Generation Rent reveals that introducing fees to challenge rent tribunal decisions would discourage renters from contesting a steep rent increase of £200 per month, around 14% above the average rent in England.

Nine in ten of those surveyed said they would challenge the increase if tribunals were free, but only half said they would still do so if required to pay a £200 fee.

Clara Collingwood, director at the Renters’ Reform Coalition, told The Mirror: “This government promised that they would protect renters from no-fault evictions, and ’empower renters’ to challenge unfair rent increases.

“Introducing a fee that tenants will have to pay to access rent tribunals would make it easier for rogue landlords to threaten tenants with steep rent hikes, or evict them by raising rents beyond what is affordable.

“It will be renters on lower incomes, many of whom already struggle to cover bills and afford groceries due to the cost of their rent, who will be least able to afford to challenge an increase, and most exposed to economic eviction.

“These fees risk undermining security for millions of renters, and the most vulnerable of renters in particular, by opening a loophole in the Renters’ Rights Act, the government must reconsider.”

Leave landlords in limbo

A government spokesperson told The Mirror: “We always keep courts and tribunal fees under review and are currently assessing the introduction of fees in line with practice across the courts and tribunals.”

As previously reported by Property118, under the Renters’ Rights Act, any rent increase upheld by the tribunal would take effect only from the date of its decision, rather than when the landlord first served notice. This means that even unsuccessful challenges could delay higher rent payments for months, leaving landlords in limbo.

Geoffrey Vos, Master of the Rolls and head of civil justice in England and Wales, warned the Housing Law Practitioners’ Association that the rules under the Renters’ Rights Act could create “an incentive for tenants to apply to the First Tier Tribunal in respect of every increase in order to delay its implementation”.