The government will move initial decisions on challenges to rent increases in England from the First-tier Tribunal to HMRC’s Valuation Office, under a future reform announced alongside the national landlord register rollout.
Ministers have confirmed the direction of travel but not a start date. Until the necessary reforms are developed, tenants challenging a proposed increase must still apply to the First-tier Tribunal and do not have to pay the higher rent until it makes its final decision.
Rent reviews are already a live risk for landlords after the Renters’ Rights Act changed the process for increasing rents. A new specialist route could reduce tribunal pressure, but it also makes the evidence behind a Section 13 notice more important, particularly where the proposed rent is above recent local lets.
Valuation Office will take initial rent decisions
Matthew Pennycook, Housing Minister, said the transfer of initial rent determinations to the Valuation Office would help proposed increases be decided faster and reduce pressure on the tribunal system. The government says the new service is intended to give both landlords and tenants quicker, more reliable outcomes.
There is no change to the current route yet. A tenant who contests a Section 13 notice continues to use the First-tier Tribunal, which considers whether the proposed rent is in line with the market. The government has not published legislation, a timetable or the detailed appeal process for the future Valuation Office service.
That uncertainty matters. The body will be asked to make the first decision, but landlords do not yet know what case-management rules, comparable-rent evidence or appeal safeguards will apply. The announcement is a policy commitment, not a switch that takes effect with the December registration rollout.
Section 13 evidence remains the immediate landlord task
Landlord Knowledge’s report on Rightmove’s new Section 13 rent-review tool showed that agents are already trying to standardise the evidence used before a notice is served. Landlords should keep a dated record of comparable achieved rents, not just advertised prices, as a tribunal challenge can still arise under the current rules.
This follows Landlord Knowledge’s September report on record rent appeals, which warned that the volume of challenges was increasing after the new tenancy rules came into force. Moving first-stage determinations out of the tribunal may ease queues in time, but it will not remove the need for a landlord to justify the rent proposed today.
The government’s 9 September announcement on the next phase of Renters’ Rights Act reforms says the Valuation Office change will sit alongside the new landlord registration service. It describes the aim as a dedicated, digital-first rent-determination service, while leaving the existing tribunal system in place during the transition.
Registration data could make local rent scrutiny sharper
The new register will require landlords to provide rent and tenancy information for properties that are let during the regional rollout. The government has not said that register data will be used to decide individual disputes, nor has it set out how information would be shared with the Valuation Office.
However, the timing is significant. A national set of rent records and a new specialist decision-maker could give government a much clearer view of local rental patterns than the current tribunal-led process. Landlords should not treat that as rent control, which ministers have not announced, but should expect rent-setting records to face closer examination where a rise is challenged.
The practical warning is straightforward: avoid relying on a broad market headline or an old listing when setting a new rent. Keep copies of recent, genuinely comparable lets, note differences in condition, furnishing and bills, and make sure the tenancy file explains the figure in the notice.
What this means for landlords
- For any Section 13 increase: retain dated evidence of comparable achieved rents, property condition and included bills before serving the notice.
- Until the law changes: use the First-tier Tribunal process for contested increases – the Valuation Office is not yet taking these cases.
- Watch for: legislation and guidance on the new service, especially rules on evidence, time limits and any appeal route.
- If using an agent: agree who retains the rent-comparison evidence and a copy of the notice, as the landlord remains exposed if the figure is challenged.
- Bottom line: the promised new service may speed up disputes later, but careful pricing and records remain the protection landlords can use now.
Editor’s view
The transfer may be sensible if it brings quicker decisions, but speed will not help landlords if the evidence rules arrive late or differ across regions. Ministers should publish the detail early, rather than leave the sector to infer how a new national service will judge a local market rent.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 10 September 2026
Sources: UK Government, HMRC Valuation Office Agency
Related reading: NRLA warns landlords as rent appeals hit record high
📘 Renters’ Rights Act: Complete Landlord Guide
Everything you need to know about the new rules – 1 May 2026
