Rent tribunals have reduced nearly three-quarters of challenged rent increases below the landlord's proposed figure, according to an analysis of tribunal decisions by LonRes. In a sample of 108 cases where both proposed and final rents were stated, 73% resulted in a lower rent, with a median reduction of 7.5% among those cases.
The analysis, which examined 200 market rent determinations, also found that 18% of proposed rents were confirmed, while 9% were set higher under rules that are no longer in effect. The report highlighted the importance of comparable evidence, stating that tribunals give little weight to asking prices and that landlords with weak evidence face a one-way risk of the rent being confirmed or reduced.
Evidence gaps were noted in 47% of 169 decisions with published reasons, with instances of missing or limited evidence, parties submitting nothing, or tribunals relying on their own market knowledge. In 21% of cases, at least one party provided no evidence. The median wait time between an application and a decision was 96 days, extending to 142 days for London cases examined.