Writing a counter-offer letter to your landlord: rent negotiation made simple

A Section 13 notice is the start of a negotiation, not the end. Yet most tenants either accept the increase, or go straight to tribunal. The middle path — a written counter-offer — resolves a large share of rent disputes informally and saves both sides time.

This guide is the plain-English playbook for writing one. What to say, what to include, and what never to write.

Why counter-offers work

Landlords often propose a rent increase based on limited information. They may be:

• Acting on a letting agent's guess
• Using outdated comparable evidence
• Testing to see whether you will accept
• Covering a mortgage rise they do not want to carry alone

None of those are bad motivations — but they all produce numbers that a little evidence can move. A well-written counter-offer gives the landlord a face-saving reason to come down, without having to admit the original figure was wrong.

Before you write

You need three things before you start typing.

1. A copy of your Section 13 notice. Confirm the date served, the proposed new rent and the effective date.
2. Market rent evidence. Three to four comparable local rentals on Rightmove or Zoopla, listed in the last 60 days, similar size and condition.
3. A number you will settle at. Decide your highest acceptable figure before you write the letter. Do not negotiate against yourself in real time.

A good counter-offer is the midpoint between what you want (the market rate) and what your landlord has proposed. If the proposal is £1,450 and market evidence suggests £1,180, your counter might be £1,250.

The tone

This is the hardest part. Your letter needs to be:

• Calm — no frustration, no ultimatums
• Specific — figures, dates, addresses
• Reasonable — you are offering a solution, not making demands
• Plain English — no legal references unless you are certain

Imagine your letter is going to be read by the tribunal if negotiations fail. That one thought rules out almost every counterproductive sentence.

A template you can adapt

Copy this into an email or a letter. Edit the italics. Delete anything that does not apply.

Dear [landlord's first name or "Mr/Mrs X"],

Thank you for your letter dated [date] proposing a new rent of £X per month from [date], served under Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988.

I value my tenancy at [address] and would like to continue renting here. I would prefer to reach an agreement on the rent rather than refer the matter to the First-tier Tribunal if we can.

I have looked at recent market evidence for similar properties in our area. Three comparable listings from the last 60 days are:

• Property A, address, let at £X per month
• Property B, address, listed at £X per month
• Property C, address, let at £X per month

On this basis I would like to propose a new rent of £Y per month, which I believe is fair and consistent with the local market.

I am happy to sign a revised rent acceptance if you agree.

If you would like to discuss this, please let me know. If I do not hear back by [date 14 days from now] I will take it that we have been unable to agree, and I may apply to the First-tier Tribunal before the proposed effective date.

Kind regards,

[Your name]

What to include as evidence

Attach or enclose:

• Screenshots of each comparable listing, with the date visible
• Photographs of any disrepair you are relying on (damp, broken fixtures, condition issues)
• A copy of your EPC if the rating is D or lower

Keep it compact. Four well-chosen pieces of evidence are better than twenty.

What not to include

A few common mistakes that weaken counter-offer letters:

• Emotional arguments ("I can't afford this", "the cost of living is hard right now"). These are true and human but irrelevant to market rent.
• Personal attacks on the landlord. Even if they deserve it.
• Long legal quotes. You do not need to cite Section 14 of the Housing Act. The landlord already knows it exists.
• Threats. "If you do not drop the rent I will go to the tribunal" is weaker than "I would prefer to agree before tribunal."
• Open-ended offers. "A lower rent" is not a negotiation. Propose a specific figure.

Sending it

Send your counter-offer two ways.

1. Email — for speed, and so you have a timestamped digital copy.
2. Recorded delivery post — proof of service if the dispute escalates.

Keep every reply. Photograph any text messages. If the landlord phones, follow up with a short email summary: "Thanks for the call — to confirm you offered £1,350 and I said I would think about it."

What happens next

There are four usual outcomes.

1. The landlord accepts your counter-offer

Write a short email confirming the new figure, and ask for a signed letter or addendum to your tenancy agreement. Keep it.

2. The landlord counter-counters

You now have a negotiation. Reply with one more message if their figure is close to yours. Do not go below what you decided in advance. If the final figure is acceptable, agree. If not, move to tribunal.

3. The landlord rejects without a counter

You are back where you started but with an audit trail. Apply to the First-tier Tribunal using Form 6 before the new rent takes effect.

4. The landlord ignores you

Give them 14 days, then apply to the tribunal. The tribunal judge will notice that you tried to resolve the matter reasonably — that never hurts.

A quick example

Here is a real counter-offer scenario, with names changed.

A tenant in South London received a Section 13 notice proposing £1,625/month from £1,450. She found three similar two-bed flats let in the last 45 days at £1,425, £1,500 and £1,475. She counter-offered at £1,500 — the midpoint of the market evidence — with a note about the broken extractor fan in the kitchen.

The landlord agreed at £1,525 five days later. Total time from counter-offer to signed agreement: one week. Total saving: £1,200 a year.

No tribunal. No legal fees. One letter.

What if you are pre-1 May 2026?

If your tenancy and notice are currently under the pre-May 2026 rules, the tribunal can still set the rent higher than your landlord proposed. This is the main reason some tenants are cautious about escalating. A counter-offer can be even more attractive in this window because you avoid that risk.

From 1 May 2026 onwards, the tribunal cannot set rent higher than the landlord proposed, so the risk-reward balance shifts towards challenging formally. Counter-offers still work, but the fallback (tribunal) becomes safer.

Where to start

If you have received a Section 13 notice, our free rent increase checker will review the notice in under two minutes. If grounds to challenge exist, you will receive a pack with local market evidence, a counter-offer letter template personalised to your property and a pre-filled tribunal application — for £14.99. No result, no charge.