Blog
Expert guides on tenant rights, rent increases, and the Section 13 process in England.
Section 8 Ground 14 (anti-social behaviour) defence: the tenant evidence walkthrough (RRA, 2026)
Ground 14 is the anti-social behaviour ground for possession. It is discretionary - the judge has to decide it is reasonable to evict before any order is made. That word - reasonable - is the entire defence. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 left Ground 14 unchanged but tightened other grounds, so landlords who would previously have reached for Section 21 are pushing more cases onto Ground 14. This walkthrough covers what Ground 14 says, the proportionality test the judge applies, the seven evidence categories that swing the hearing, the N11A defence form section by section, and the witness-statement skeleton. A suspended order on terms is the realistic and acceptable outcome.
Subject access request to your landlord or letting agent: the tenant walkthrough for pre-tribunal disclosure (UK GDPR, 2026)
The renter has had a Form 4A rent increase notice. They have decided to challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal. Their bundle is half-written. What they do not have - and what would meaningfully strengthen their case - is the landlord's own paperwork: the internal email where the agent told the landlord the increase was 'punchy but probably worth a try', the rent-comparison spreadsheet, the referencing report. The renter has a free, no-reason-needed legal right to ask for a copy of all of it - a subject access request under Article 15 of the UK GDPR. Five document categories, the letter template, and how the disclosed pack lands in a tribunal bundle as exhibits 5 to 10.
The bidding war ban under the RRA: the tenant walkthrough for rejected-bid evidence and the GBP 7k civil penalty route
A renter walks into a viewing and the agent says, casually, 'we have a few people interested, so we are taking best and final offers by Friday'. The advert listed GBP 1,650. The renter offers GBP 1,650, gets a polite 'sorry, you have been unsuccessful', and watches the property re-appear two weeks later at GBP 1,750. From 1 May 2026 that is a civil penalty case under the new bidding war ban - up to GBP 7,000 per breach via local council Trading Standards. This walkthrough covers what counts as evidence, the three patterns we are seeing, the complaint template, and the parallel routes via redress scheme and PRS Ombudsman.