How to build a comparables table for a rent increase challenge

The tribunal will decide one question when you challenge a Section 13 rent increase: what is the open market rent for a property like yours, in a location like yours, let on terms like yours? The answer comes from comparables — similar nearby properties being advertised or recently let. Five or six well-chosen comparables, laid out clearly, will beat a stack of random screenshots every time.

This guide shows you exactly how to find comparables, how to adjust for differences, how to lay them out in a tribunal-ready table, and what to do with the evidence once you have it. The same table doubles as your negotiation leverage if you're writing to the landlord rather than applying to the tribunal.

What counts as a comparable

A comparable is a property that is genuinely similar to yours on the features that drive rent. The tribunal will look for:

• Location. Same street is ideal. Same postcode sector is acceptable. Wider than that and the tribunal will discount the comparable.
• Size. Same number of bedrooms. Roughly similar floor area and layout.
• Type. Flat vs house, terraced vs semi, purpose-built vs conversion.
• Condition. Similar age, decor standard, kitchen and bathroom quality.
• Features. Parking, garden, outside space, energy efficiency.
• Tenure terms. Furnished vs unfurnished, bills included or not, length of tenancy.
• Date. Advertised or let within the last six months, ideally three.

The closer a comparable is to your property on those dimensions, the more weight the tribunal gives it.

Where to find comparables

Four sources. Use them in combination.

1. Rightmove

The biggest source. Go to Rightmove's rental search, enter your postcode, and filter by bedrooms, property type and a tight radius (start at 0.25 miles, widen to 0.5 miles if needed). Sort by "newest listings". Screenshot each comparable full-page, including the address, price, description, and photos. Download the listing PDF if you can.

Tip: use Rightmove's "let agreed" filter in addition to "available" — let-agreed properties show what tenants are actually paying, not just asking prices. Asking prices can be aspirational; let-agreed prices are proof of market rent.

2. Zoopla

Same approach. Often has overlapping stock with Rightmove but includes some properties Rightmove doesn't. Zoopla also publishes "estimated market rent" for addresses — useful as a cross-check but not accepted as primary evidence on its own.

3. OpenRent

A direct-to-tenant platform, so listings are straight from landlords (no agent markups). Often a tell for the "real" local market rate. Use to sanity-check Rightmove/Zoopla asking prices.

4. Local letting agents

If you have independent local agents, their own websites often have stock Rightmove doesn't surface. Two or three minutes on each of the top three agents' sites is worth it.

[!tip] Avoid AirBnb, SpareRoom or room-let listings Comparables must be whole-home lets on assured/assured-shorthold terms equivalent to yours. Short-lets, HMO room rates, and lodger arrangements are not like-for-like and the tribunal will disregard them.

The five-comparable standard

Aim for five comparables. That's what the tribunal expects and what landlords must produce under the RRA's new guidance. Fewer than five and the sample looks thin. More than eight and you look like you're padding.

If you can find five in the same street or estate, use those. If not, widen to the same postcode sector and pick the five closest and most similar. If you can't find five similar lets within a reasonable radius, that itself is useful evidence — it means the local market is thin and any "market rent" figure is uncertain, which cuts in your favour.

The comparables table — what it should look like

Lay the five comparables out in a single table. The tribunal reads dozens of these; a clean, scannable table beats prose and screenshots every time.

#	Address	Distance	Beds	Type	Size	Advertised rent	Source	Date	Notes
1	24 Example Rd, SW1 1AA	0.1 mi	2	Terrace	720 sq ft	£1,450 pcm	Rightmove (let agreed)	15 Mar 2026	Unfurnished, garden, no parking
2	41 Example Rd, SW1 1AA	0.1 mi	2	Terrace	695 sq ft	£1,500 pcm	Zoopla	2 Apr 2026	Unfurnished, garden, off-street parking
3	12 Sample St, SW1 1AB	0.2 mi	2	Terrace	710 sq ft	£1,425 pcm	OpenRent (let agreed)	1 Feb 2026	Unfurnished, no garden, EPC D
4	8 Test Ave, SW1 1AC	0.3 mi	2	Semi	740 sq ft	£1,550 pcm	Rightmove	22 Mar 2026	Larger — adjusted down ~£50
5	33 Trial Ct, SW1 1AD	0.3 mi	2	Flat (purpose-built)	680 sq ft	£1,400 pcm	Rightmove	10 Mar 2026	Flat — not directly comparable, included for range

Under the table, show your calculations:

• Range (raw): £1,400 – £1,550 pcm
• Median: £1,450 pcm
• Mean (adjusted for differences): £1,465 pcm
• Subject property proposed rent: £1,650 pcm
• Evidence-based market rent: £1,450 – £1,475 pcm

A tribunal reading that can see at a glance that the landlord's £1,650 is well above the evidence. Pair it with photos of your property (kitchen, bathroom, exterior) so the comparison is visual as well as numerical.

Making adjustments for differences

No two properties are identical. If a comparable has something yours doesn't (or vice versa), adjust the rent up or down. Reasonable rules of thumb:

• Parking vs no parking: ±£25-50 pcm depending on area.
• Garden vs no garden: ±£25-50 pcm.
• EPC rating two bands better/worse: ±£25-50 pcm.
• 10% larger/smaller in floor area: ±£50-75 pcm.
• Furnished vs unfurnished: +£50-100 pcm for furnished.
• Bills included: +£100-200 pcm depending on property size.

Show the adjustment transparently in the "Notes" column. Tribunals value honest adjustment far more than cherry-picked numbers. If your comparable is actually a bigger house with parking, say so and adjust the figure down to reflect that.

Screenshots and record-keeping

Save everything. For each comparable:

1. Full-page screenshot of the listing (Rightmove's print view is best).
2. The URL.
3. The date you captured it.
4. A PDF printout.

Listings disappear off Rightmove within days of being let. If you rely on a URL alone, by the time the tribunal looks at the evidence the page may be gone. Screenshots and PDFs preserve the record.

Put all five listings plus your table into a single PDF called "Comparables evidence — [your address] — [date]". That's your submission.

Using the table for negotiation

The same table is the strongest attachment to a negotiation letter. Landlords who see an evidence-backed counter-offer respond very differently to ones who see a bare "please reconsider". A typical tenant who submits a comparables table ends up agreeing a figure within £50 pcm of the median on their own evidence. That's a very good result from a very cheap piece of work.

Attach the comparables PDF to your counter-offer letter and refer to it specifically:

"I've attached five local comparables dated February–April 2026. The median rent for similar two-bedroom terraces within 0.3 miles of my address is £1,450 pcm. I'd like to propose a new rent of £1,475 pcm — above the median to acknowledge the improvements you've made, but in line with current local market evidence."

Using the table at tribunal

If the case goes to tribunal, the comparables table is your primary exhibit. Submit it with your Form RR1 application and any subsequent directions response. A few things the tribunal will look for:

• Contemporaneous evidence. Listings from the last three months carry most weight. Older than six months and the tribunal may discount.
• Sourcing. "From Rightmove on 15 April 2026 at [URL]" is solid. "I saw it somewhere" is not.
• Honesty about differences. Acknowledging a comparable is slightly bigger or better appointed builds credibility.
• A clear conclusion. Don't leave the tribunal to do the maths. Tell them what the evidence shows: "Market rent for this property on this evidence is £1,450 – £1,475 pcm."

The landlord's comparables

The landlord will submit their own. Expect that. Under the new RRA guidance from 1 May 2026, landlords are expected to have at least five comparables to support their Form 4A figure — though many won't.

If the landlord's comparables look thin, call it out in your written response. Examples of weak landlord evidence:

• A single Rightmove listing. (Too narrow; tribunal will discount.)
• Listings from more than a year ago. (Not current market.)
• Listings of much larger/better-appointed properties without adjustment.
• Asking prices (not let-agreed) with no acknowledgement that asking can be aspirational.

Point each of these out in your response. You're not attacking the landlord; you're helping the tribunal weigh the evidence correctly.

A worked example

Two-bedroom terraced house in Bristol BS5. Current rent £1,250 pcm. Landlord serves Section 13 proposing £1,500 pcm (20% increase).

Tenant spends 45 minutes on Rightmove/Zoopla. Finds:

• 3 two-bed terraces in BS5, let agreed in the last 6 weeks, at £1,275, £1,300, £1,325 pcm.
• 1 two-bed terrace advertised at £1,350 pcm, on the market 4 weeks (probably overpriced).
• 1 two-bed semi, larger, at £1,400 pcm — adjusted down £75 to £1,325 for size.

Median of the five: £1,300 pcm. Tenant writes to landlord with the table attached and proposes £1,325 pcm — a £75 pcm increase rather than £250.

Landlord replies with a counter at £1,400 pcm. Tenant comes back at £1,350 pcm, splitting the difference. Deal done at £1,375 pcm. Result: £125 pcm less per month than the original proposal. Over a year that's £1,500 — or a hundred times more than a RentSOS pack costs, using exactly the same comparables tools.

Key takeaways

• Build a table of five comparables within 0.3 miles of your property, similar in size, type and condition.
• Use Rightmove, Zoopla, OpenRent and local agents. Prefer let-agreed prices over asking prices.
• Screenshot and PDF every listing — the pages disappear fast.
• Adjust transparently for differences. Honest adjustment beats cherry-picked comparables.
• The same table works for negotiation and for tribunal. One piece of work, two uses.

FAQs

How far away can a comparable be?

Same street is ideal. Same postcode sector is acceptable. Beyond 0.5 miles the tribunal will start discounting the comparable unless you can show it's still truly like-for-like.

How old can a comparable be?

Within three months is strongest. Up to six months is acceptable. Older than six months and the tribunal may discount as not reflecting current market.

Can I use asking prices or do they need to be let-agreed?

Both are acceptable but let-agreed prices carry more weight. Ideally mix them — two or three let-agreed plus two or three current asking prices.

What if I can't find five similar properties nearby?

That itself is evidence. A thin market means any "market rent" figure is uncertain — which often helps the tenant. Submit what you have, explain the scarcity, and submit adjacent-but-different properties with clear adjustments.

Does the RentSOS pack include comparables?

Yes. The £14.99 pack includes a local comparables table, a rental valuation for your specific property, and rental demand data for your postcode — the same evidence a surveyor charges £300+ for.

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Free procedural and market check: RentSOS. If your notice has grounds to challenge, the pack includes a ready-made comparables table and a negotiation letter that uses it. Two minutes to check.