Asking the tribunal to set aside or correct its own rent decision: the tenant walkthrough 2026

When a rent tribunal decision lands and something about it is plainly wrong, an appeal is not always the answer, and it is rarely the quickest one. Before you commit to the more technical appeal route, it is worth checking whether the problem can be fixed by the tribunal itself, far faster and usually at no cost. The First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) has its own housekeeping powers to correct accidental slips and to set aside decisions where the process went wrong.

This walkthrough explains those two powers, when each one applies, the deadlines, and exactly what to write. It covers England only and assumes the decision came from the First-tier Tribunal after a Section 13 rent challenge.

Three remedies, three different problems

It helps to keep the three routes clearly separated in your head, because using the wrong one wastes time:

• Correction (the slip rule) fixes accidental errors and obvious mistakes in the written decision, such as a wrong figure, a transposed address, or an arithmetic slip. The tribunal decided one thing; the document accidentally says another.
• Set aside deals with something going wrong in the process, most commonly where you never received the notice of hearing or a key document, so the decision was made without you having a fair chance to take part.
• Appeal is for an error of law, where the tribunal applied the wrong legal test or gave no adequate reasons.

The practical order to think in is: is this an obvious typo, did the process go wrong, or did the tribunal get the law wrong? Correction and set aside are usually faster and cheaper, so check them first.

The slip rule: correcting an obvious mistake

The slip rule lets the tribunal correct accidental errors and omissions in a decision. It is for the kind of mistake everyone can see was a mistake: a wrong monetary figure, a date or address typed incorrectly, an obvious arithmetic error in a rent calculation, or a missing word that changes the meaning.

What it is not for is changing the substance. You cannot use the slip rule to argue the rent should have come out lower because you disagree with the reasoning. The test is essentially whether the written decision accurately records what the tribunal actually decided. If it does not, because of an accidental slip, the tribunal can put it right, usually quickly and often without a hearing.

Because corrections deal with plain errors, the tribunal can generally make them at any time, but flag the slip as soon as you spot it. Quote the paragraph, state what it says, and state what it should say.

Set aside: when the process went wrong

Set aside is the remedy when the procedure was unfair through no fault of your own. The classic example is that you did not receive the notice of hearing, so the decision was made in your absence without you ever having had the chance to put your case. Other procedural irregularities can qualify too, where some document never reached you or you were prevented from taking part properly.

Two things to be clear about:

1. It is not a way to re-run a case you lost on the merits. Being unhappy with how the tribunal weighed the evidence is not a set-aside point.
2. You usually have to show it is in the interests of justice to set the decision aside, and that you have a realistic case worth re-hearing. A set aside is pointless if the outcome would obviously be the same.

Set-aside applications are time-limited, and the usual window is short, typically around 28 days from the date the decision was sent. Move quickly. If you are close to the deadline, send a brief written request straight away to protect it, and offer to provide fuller details if needed.

Protect your appeal deadline at the same time

This is where people get caught out. Asking the tribunal to correct or set aside a decision can affect when your appeal clock runs, but the rules are technical and you should not assume you automatically gain extra time to appeal. The safe approach is to treat the 28-day appeal deadline as still running and protect both routes: if you are within or near that window, consider lodging your application for permission to appeal as well, or at least say in writing that you intend to appeal if the correction or set-aside is refused.

Do not let a set-aside request quietly run down your appeal deadline. If in doubt on sequencing, get a quick piece of advice, because the order you do things in can matter.

Template: request to correct or set aside

Use whichever block fits. Keep it factual and prompt.

To: First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Case reference: [case number] Property: [address] Applicant (tenant): [your name]

Option A - request to correct under the slip rule

I ask the tribunal to correct an accidental error in its decision of [date]. At paragraph [x] the decision states "[quote the wording]". This appears to be an accidental slip: it should read "[corrected wording]", consistent with [the evidence / the figure used elsewhere in the decision]. I ask that the decision be corrected accordingly.

Option B - application to set aside

I apply to set aside the tribunal's decision of [date], which was made [in my absence / without my evidence]. This is because [I did not receive the notice of hearing / the document below never reached me], as a result of which I had no fair opportunity to take part. [Briefly explain what happened and attach any evidence, e.g. that the notice went to an old address.]

It is in the interests of justice to set the decision aside because I have a realistic case to put, namely [one or two lines on the substance of your challenge], which the tribunal has not heard.

This application is made within [number] days of the decision being sent.

To protect my position, I also wish to make clear that if this application is refused I intend to apply for permission to appeal, and I ask the tribunal to confirm the deadline that applies to me.

Signed: [your name] Date: [date]

How RentSOS fits in

RentSOS helps you check whether a Section 13 rent increase notice is valid and build the evidence to challenge the proposed rent before it is decided. If a decision has already been made and something has clearly gone wrong, correction and set aside are the fast, low-cost first ports of call, and an appeal on a point of law is the fallback if the problem is legal rather than procedural. Whichever route fits, the golden rule is the same: act quickly, put it in writing, and protect your appeal deadline while you do. A short message to the tribunal office or a free service such as Citizens Advice or Shelter can confirm which power applies before you spend time on the wrong one.