News from 28 August 2026
Read the current guide to tenancy rules in England.
More rent-rise disputes in England reached the property tribunal in July 2026. Analysis by Hamptons, reported by Property Industry Eye, counted 166 market-rent decisions, compared with 44 in July 2025.
What the July figures show
The reported monthly total rose from an average of 42 decisions in the 12 months to May 2026 to 109 in May, 129 in June and 166 in July. The analysis also says tenants initiated 60% of July’s cases after the Renters’ Rights Act changes took effect at the beginning of May.
These are decision counts reported from Hamptons’ analysis, rather than a new government statistical bulletin, so they should be read as an indication of activity rather than a complete forecast of future caseloads. Even so, the direction is useful for landlords: more tenants appear willing to ask the First-tier Tribunal to test whether a proposed increase reflects the market.
The same report says the average interval between application and decision fell to 80 days in July, from 113 days in May and 172 days in April. A quicker recent average does not guarantee a timetable in an individual case.
How rent increases now work in England
Official government guidance says private-sector landlords in England may increase rent once a year to the market rate, using the statutory section 13 process and giving at least two months’ notice. If a tenant considers the proposed figure higher than the market rate, they can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for a determination.
The tribunal considers the rent that the property could reasonably achieve if it were newly offered on the open market. The government’s guide also says a tribunal cannot set a figure above the amount the landlord proposed. A determined increase normally applies from the date of the decision rather than being backdated to the tenant’s application date; in cases of undue hardship, the tribunal may defer it further.
That makes this an England-specific development. Landlords with properties elsewhere in the UK should use the rules and official guidance for the relevant nation rather than treating the English process as UK-wide.
