Will an HMRC takeover speed up rent decisions?

The government has announced that HMRC’s Valuation Office Agency will make the initial decision when tenants challenge Section 13 rent increases.

According to housing minister Matthew Pennycook, this will speed up decisions and take pressure off First-tier Tribunals, which currently handle rent determinations.

However, no handover date has been set yet. The government will have to change the law to shift responsibility to the Valuation Office Agency.

It could also mean a wider overhaul of the decision-making process. According to government officials, the goal is a modern, digital-first service that works for tenants and landlords.

Are tribunals struggling?

Property-related tribunal cases have risen sharply since the Renters’ Rights Act came into force, raising concerns that housing-related cases will take longer to resolve.

According to data shared by estate agency Hamptons, the First-tier Tribunal decided 143 rental challenges in July 2026. That’s almost a fourfold increase compared to April, the last month before the Renters’ Rights Act came into force.

So far, the tribunal is coping well with the extra workload. The average case took 83 days to resolve in July, compared to 172 in April.  

Preparing for a rent determination

Recent rent determination cases hold some lessons for landlords and letting agents.

• Make sure Form 4A is served correctly. Tenants can challenge rent increases on procedural grounds, not just the amount.

• Achieved rents are stronger evidence than asking rents. Agents may be able to provide data on currently let properties, not just advertisements.

• Understand that property condition matters. Around a quarter of First-tier Tribunal decisions have reduced rent on this basis. This includes factors like EPC scores as well as outstanding repairs.

• Remember that the tribunal can’t award a higher rent increase than you request. In several cases, the tribunal has assessed the market rent as higher than the landlord’s proposed rent. But because any increase is capped at the amount the landlord proposed, it has had to set the rent below its assessment of market value.