Tenant unions have launched a new online tool urging renters to challenge rent increases through the First-tier Tribunal, in an early sign that the Renters’ Rights Act could bring more formal disputes over pricing.
The tool, published by the Resist Rent Rises campaign, is designed to help tenants test whether a proposed increase looks above market level and to encourage tribunal applications under the post-1 May system. Campaigners say even unsuccessful cases can delay a higher rent from taking effect.
For landlords, the immediate issue is not whether the campaign succeeds politically. It is that organised tenant groups are now trying to turn rent challenges into a standard response, which could increase paperwork, delay and uncertainty around annual rises.
Rent challenge tool tests how far tenants will use new rules
The campaign says the checker will help renters use the rights created under the Renters’ Rights Act, under which landlords can increase rent through the statutory Section 13 process and tenants can challenge rises they believe are above market level at tribunal.
That matters because the new regime gives campaign groups a much clearer process to organise around. A tenant who might once have accepted a rise or negotiated informally can now be directed straight into a structured challenge route.
Landlords have already been told that rent-setting evidence will matter more in the new system. As Landlord Knowledge’s earlier reporting on the PRS database and enforcement data showed, ministers are building a wider evidence picture around how the sector behaves after reform. Tribunal use is likely to become part of that picture.
Why landlords should pay attention now
The biggest near-term risk is not a wave of successful challenges in every case. It is that more tenants may feel confident enough to test increases, particularly in areas where asking rents have moved ahead of local affordability or where comparable evidence is easy to find online.
That could force landlords and agents to be more disciplined about recording comparable local rents, property condition, recent upgrades and any reason why a proposed increase reflects market value rather than a simple attempt to push income higher.
This follows Landlord Knowledge’s coverage of the government’s new PRS data strategy, which flagged rent disputes as one of the areas ministers want to monitor closely after the Act took effect. The launch of a campaign tool aimed directly at tribunal use suggests that part of the system may become active sooner than some landlords expected.
Landlords do not need to stop increasing rents where the market supports it. But they do need to assume that a weakly evidenced rise is now easier to challenge, more likely to be challenged and more likely to take time to resolve. The campaign tool is published here.
What this means for landlords
- If you’re planning an annual increase: keep clear comparables and a simple written rationale for the figure.
- If you use an agent: check how they will evidence market rent if a tenant files a tribunal challenge.
- Watch for: more organised challenge activity in high-pressure rental markets and among union-backed tenants.
- Bottom line: rent reviews now need stronger evidence because tenant campaigns are actively trying to turn challenges into a routine tactic.
Editor’s view
The new tool may not transform the market overnight, but it does mark a shift in behaviour. Landlords who treat rent reviews as a paperwork exercise rather than an evidence exercise could find the new regime much slower and more confrontational than before.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 3 June 2026
Sources: Resist Rent Rises campaign
Related reading: PRS Database to power landlord enforcement checks
📘 Renters’ Rights Act: Complete Landlord Guide
Everything you need to know about the new rules – 1 May 2026
