Renters' Rights Act rent tribunals: how fast market rents are actually rising in England & Wales
Tenants are challenging rent rises at tribunal in record numbers, and tribunals set the open market rent. On ONS data, the middle local authority's average private rent rose 3.86% in the year to July 2026, to £1,024 a month. Where rents rose fastest, and what tribunal outcomes do and do not tell you.
By GableIndex team · 2026-11-05 · Data as of ONS Price Index of Private Rents, July 2026 and July 2025, 316 local authorities in England & Wales
The short version: since 1 May 2026, tenants in England can ask the First-tier Tribunal to set the open market rent when a landlord proposes an increase, for a £47 fee (GOV.UK). For notices served on or after that date, the tribunal cannot set a rent above the landlord's figure (Shelter). The benchmark is the local market. On our data, the median local authority's average private rent rose 3.86% between July 2025 and July 2026, or £41 a month. In London the median rise was 2.71%; in England outside London 3.99%; in Wales 5.12%. In 11 of the 316 local authorities, average rents fell.
Why this is in the news
Analysis of tribunal data from May to October by the London Renters Union, reported by the Guardian on 3 November, found that the landlord's proposed increase was approved in full in 36% of cases, reduced in 42%, cancelled in 16%, and that rent was lowered in 6%. One Dagenham case approved a rise from £1,200 to £2,250 a month. A separate reading of 126 published determinations by LonRes found the tribunal set the rent at exactly the landlord's figure in 35.7% of cases, against 14.6% a year earlier. Landlord groups point to backlogs and limited tribunal capacity (Property118).
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How fast market rents moved, by area
| Group | Local authorities | Median rise, Jul 2025 to Jul 2026 | Median rise, £/month |
|---|---|---|---|
| England & Wales | 316 | 3.86% | £41 |
| London boroughs | 32 | 2.71% | £48 |
| England outside London | 262 | 3.99% | £41 |
| Wales | 22 | 5.12% | £38.50 |
Source: GableIndex calculation from ONS Price Index of Private Rents, average rent per local authority, July 2025 and July 2026. Median of local authority changes.
The spread is wide. 110 local authorities saw average rents rise by 5% or more, and 19 by 8% or more. The fastest and slowest:
| Local authority | Jul 2025, £/month | Jul 2026, £/month | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tewkesbury | £961 | £1,086 | +13.0% |
| Kirklees | £692 | £780 | +12.7% |
| Wolverhampton | £847 | £942 | +11.2% |
| Folkestone and Hythe | £1,059 | £1,176 | +11.0% |
| Oldham | £839 | £931 | +11.0% |
| Barking and Dagenham | £1,650 | £1,696 | +2.8% |
| Runnymede | £1,607 | £1,579 | −1.7% |
| Westminster | £3,244 | £3,179 | −2.0% |
| Wyre Forest | £843 | £823 | −2.4% |
| Waverley | £1,497 | £1,450 | −3.1% |
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents via GableIndex. Barking and Dagenham included for context on the Dagenham tribunal case. Full list: rents by local authority.
For context, the £2,250 a month approved in the Dagenham case is £554 above the borough's ONS average of £1,696 in July 2026. An average covers every size and type of home, so a single property can sit well above or below it; that is the reason tribunals look at comparable lets rather than a borough figure.
What X is saying
Posts mentioning rent tribunals or the Renters' Rights Act ran at 25, 54, 57 and 40 a day from 1 to 4 November (UTC). The tone is mixed and largely practical. Landlord accounts share government guidance and checklists and reports that asking rents have risen since the Act, while renter-side posts highlight that rises of up to 88% are still passing. Commentary also links the Act and tax changes to landlords selling up.
What the numbers don't tell you
- New lets versus all tenancies. The ONS index measures rents across existing and new tenancies and changes slowly. Asking rents on newly advertised homes, which tribunals often see as comparables, can move faster.
- Individual properties. A local authority average mixes flats and houses of every size. It is not a fair-rent figure for any one home.
- Tribunal outcomes. We do not hold tribunal decisions. The shares above are the cited organisations' own analyses, on different samples and periods.
- Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Act's rent challenge rules apply in England; our table covers England & Wales only.
See also: Cheapest places to rent in England & Wales · Rental yields in England & Wales · Landlord tax rise 2027 · All articles
Sources: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (July 2025 and July 2026). GOV.UK, Apply for an open market rent determination. Shelter England, Ask a tribunal to set the rent. The Guardian, 3 Nov 2026. LonRes tribunal analysis. Property118, 5 Nov 2026. Posts on X, 1 to 4 Nov 2026.
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Figures are a snapshot and will change. Information only. Not financial, investment, tax or legal advice.
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