Tenants urged to ‘flood’ tribunals over rent rises

Why should landlords continue to subsidies these people, while they struggle with higher costs to run rentals. Who are these people who can “hardly afford the groceries”.Perhaps cutting back on leasing high end cars, Apple mobiles and other expensive tech, dining out, fast food junk, digital subscriptions, travel, welless retreats etc etc might just help., or if they can’t afford the rent stay home with their parents and save to buy a property.

Over 5 million home owners and Landlords can expect to see mortgage costs increase substantially by 2028 is the latest news in the papers.
Many sensible Landlords and home owners took a long term view back in 2021/22/23 and Fixed for 5 years when Rates were much lower than current deals on the market.
The reasons for the current higher rates are varied and complex but the Facts remain the same.
More and more Landlords will sell up when the figures don’t add up.
I Hope the pressure groups involved can also get discounts for Homeless people from Outdoor stores for all the tenants that will appear on our high streets.
Meanwhile Labour is busy building 1,500,000 New energy efficient homes for Cheap Rent 🙄

Appealing a rent increase as a tactic to deliberately create delay was always on the cards as anyone with half a brain (Pennycook, you are excused) could foresee. Not backdating rent increases makes it a one way bet for the tenant unless there is a trivial increase that won’t be covered by the £47 fee. In the commercial sphere if a rent review is concluded late the tenant pays back-rent from the review date plus interest, usually at base rate, on the instalments that would have been paid if the review had concluded on time.
The sad fact is, Labour like it like this and the more landlords complain the more tenants will catch on to this wheeze.
A small thing we can do is when interviewing a prospective tenant or taking up references, ask if the tenant has ever challenged a rent increase and what were the circumstances.

Another reason to exit this market .

Well, I’ll say the quiet part out loud. I want to sell and retire so now the goalposts have moved again I’ll simply change the way I play the game. Rent increases will always be fair and usually just below the market rate as I value a continued tenancy without the expense of finding a new tenant. People need to realise I want to sell and I’m not at the moment because I don’t want to make them homeless. I am now going to put a years worth of mortgage payments for several houses into a savings account. Take me to tribunal and I will simply sell the house. If it takes a year of being empty I have the mortgage payments, but here’s the kicker if it costs £1000 per month on the mortgage I could sell for £10,000 less than market value for a quick sale and not be any worse off. So why wouldn’t I?
To paraphrase their website your labour should be your mortgage payment then. So off you go and buy a house as it’s obviously easy.
As landlord we all know the way it’s going. The PRS dramatically reducing, the rental market will be controlled by investment houses, most of them foreign.
For the tenants this surely is a case of buyer beware. Although they won’t see it until it is too late of course.

Reply to the comment left by David at 23/10/2026 – 10:08
Or just leave/flee the uk and become non resident .

Tenants are being badly advised. The RRA has made landlords very choosy about who they rent to and a tenant who vexatiously challenges a rent increase may find this fact mentioned in any future reference.

Reply to the comment left by DPT at 23/10/2026 – 11:29
…especially as you can look up the decision of every rent challenge outcome made at a tribunal. In fact, I might actually consider asking the question ‘Have you ever made a claim to a rent tribunal? in my application form. If tenant says no then I go onto the public site and it shows otherwise then the application can be rejected as the tenant did not make a truthful statement.

Reply to the comment left by P Bird at 23/10/2026 – 11:21
my end game….

The Tenants have nothing to Loose by working the system . Landlords will have to develop the Mindset of being prepared to sell . And allow the Tenant to Rent Somewhere else.
If you don`t want to be on a merry go round of tribunals (by the time the tribunals make a decision the next one will be due) It may be worth having the property Valued by a Local agent for both Rent and sale . so you know and the Tenant knows exactly what your and there options are.