MR1 example answers: how other tenants might fill in the form

The MR1 asks you to describe your home and your rent and to say what you think the rent should be. Many tenants are not sure how much to write or how to put it. This page shows made-up sample answers for three tenants in different situations. You can see what a clear, factual answer looks like before you write your own. It uses the question numbers of the paper MR1 (version 08.26).

For what each section of the form asks, read The MR1 form, step by step first. This page adds the examples.

How to use this page

• Pick the tenant whose situation is closest to yours: Priya (the new rent looks too high), Tom (the notice looks invalid) or Dawn (disrepair and hardship). Each one shows the questions that matter most for that kind of case.
• Each sample answer sits in a dashed box. Under it, "Why this works" explains in plain words what makes the answer clear. It is not a promise about the result. The tribunal decides.
• We skip sections 2 and 3 (your details and your landlord's details). They are names and addresses, mostly copied from your notice.
• These examples follow the paper MR1 (08.26). The online service has its own pages and wording. If you only want to challenge whether the notice is valid, GOV.UK says you must use the paper MR1. If the tribunal then finds the notice valid, GOV.UK says you must make a separate application to challenge the rent, and Citizens Advice warns you could be in rent arrears if you have not paid the new rent.
• If a box on the paper form is too small, attach extra pages. The statement of truth covers "this form and any continuation pages".

Tenant A: Priya, a valid notice but a rent above similar homes

Made-up example. Priya's notice looks valid, so she does not challenge it. She thinks the new rent is well above what similar flats let for.

• A two-bedroom flat on the first floor of a 1990s block in Nottingham.
• A monthly tenancy that began on 1 March 2024. Rent £1,150 a month, not including council tax or bills.
• The letting agent handed her a Form 4A on 25 August 2026. It proposes £1,350 a month from 1 November 2026.
• She has to apply before 1 November 2026. She fills in the paper MR1 on screen and emails it.

Questions 1.1 to 1.4: "What type of appeal are you making?"

Why this works. Priya got a Form 4A from a private landlord after 1 May 2026, so these are the boxes that fit her case. Answering "No" at 1.4 means the £47 fee in section 16 applies.

Questions 4.1 to 4.3: the notice

Why this works. The MR1 says a copy of the landlord's notice of increase "must be attached to your application form", so Priya attaches all pages of her Form 4A. Her notice looks valid, so she ticks Yes at 4.2 and leaves the reasons boxes empty.

Question 5.1: "What is your current rent?"

Why this works. It gives the rent she pays now, not the proposed rent. It says clearly that council tax and bills are not included, so the tribunal compares like with like.

Question 6.3: "Give the number and type of rooms, for example, one living room, two bedrooms, one bathroom"

Why this works. It follows the form's own pattern and adds details that affect value, such as a small second bedroom. Room sizes go in 6.7, with one photo of each room.

Question 9.1: "Describe the property's indoor features"

Why this works. Short factual sentences that start with what the form asks about (heating, glazing and flooring) and then cover the kitchen and appliances. It says what the landlord provides and what belongs to Priya.

Question 10.1: "Have you or any former tenant(s) carried out improvement work or replaced any fixtures, fittings or furniture for which you or they were not responsible under the terms of the tenancy?"

Why this works. Priya has not made any improvements, so she ticks No. She does not leave it blank, because the MR1 says "You must complete all sections and provide all requested documents."

Questions 11.1 and 11.2: "What repairs are the responsibility of the landlord?" and "What repairs are the responsibility of the tenant?"

Why this works. Both answers repeat what the tenancy agreement says and give the clause number. If your agreement says nothing about repairs, say that instead of guessing.

Question 12.1: "What do you think the open market rent should be?"

Why this works. It gives one figure and shows how she got there from her evidence. It admits where her flat is weaker than the others, which makes the figure easier to follow.

Question 12.2: "Do you have any evidence in support of your proposed open market rent?"

On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Why this works. Each row says whether the rent was asked for or agreed. GOV.UK says "evidence from actual agreed lettings (rental agreements) is stronger" than adverts. The last row is a rent the tribunal itself set, found on the public decisions register. Pick a decision that sets an open market rent for a similar home, not a fair rent decision. GOV.UK says details from market rental agreements are usually stronger evidence than previous fair rent decisions. On your own form, name the street so the tribunal can find each home. Leave out other people's names unless they agree.

Question 12.3: "Is there any other information you would like the tribunal to take into account in determining the rent?"

Why this works. This box is for anything else that affects the rent, such as disrepair, noise or missing facilities. Dated reports show the problem is real and that the landlord knows about it.

Questions 13.1 and 14.1: "Do you agree to the tribunal making a decision without an inspection?" and "Do you agree to the tribunal making a decision without a hearing?"

Why this works. The MR1 says the tribunal "will usually make its decision based on the documents and evidence provided" and "will consider all documents and evidence with or without a hearing". Priya's photos show her flat well, so she does not ask for either.

Question 16.1: "Are you asking the tribunal to make an order requiring the landlord to reimburse you for all (or part) of the application fee paid?"

Why this works. It is short and points back to her evidence. The tribunal decides whether to make the order.

Priya pays the £47 fee by card: she ticks the card payment box in section 16 and gives her email address. There is no hearing fee. She signs and dates the statement of truth. She emails the form to marketrents@justice.gov.uk with a complete copy of her Form 4A, her tenancy agreement and her evidence. She sends a copy of everything to her landlord by email, as the MR1 requires. She keeps proof that she sent both.

Tenant B: Tom, a notice that looks invalid

Made-up example. Tom thinks his notice gave him less than two months' notice. He also thinks the new rent is too high. He challenges both in one application.

• A one-bedroom flat above a takeaway in Leeds.
• A monthly tenancy that began on 15 March 2024. His rent periods run from the 15th of each month. Rent £875 a month.
• His tenancy agreement allows notices by email. The letting agent emailed him a Form 4A on 16 June 2026.
• The notice proposes £975 a month from 15 August 2026.
• Tom fills in the paper MR1, which lets him challenge the notice and the rent in one application, and emails it. He has to apply before 15 August 2026. He keeps paying £875 a month: Form 4A says "You do not have to pay the new rent amount until the tribunal has made its decision."

Question 1.1: "What type of appeal are you making?"

Why this works. The MR1 says this option includes a challenge to "the legal validity of the notice". So one application covers both. GOV.UK says the tribunal decides whether the notice is valid first and decides the rent only if it finds the notice valid.

Question 4.2: "Do you agree that the notice served is valid?"

Why this works. It gives the two dates, the rule and the sum. It says how the notice was served and why that method counts. In law a month means a calendar month, so two months after 16 June is 16 August. It says "I believe" because the tribunal decides.

A new rent also has to start at the beginning of a rent period. Tom's periods start on the 15th. So for a notice served on 16 June 2026, the earliest possible start date would have been 15 September 2026. If your dates are this close, check the exact day the notice reached you and get advice. The notice checker and the guide Is my rent increase notice valid? explain each rule.

Question 5.1: "What is your current rent?"

Why this works. The rent Tom pays now, not the proposed rent. The date the tenancy began matters for the notice rules, so he gives it exactly.

Question 6.3: "Give the number and type of rooms, for example, one living room, two bedrooms, one bathroom"

Why this works. A small flat needs only a short answer. Tom lists each room once in the form's own pattern. He adds the size of each room at 6.7.

Question 9.1: "Describe the property's indoor features"

Why this works. Plain facts, no opinions. Heating is one of the features the MR1 asks about, so Tom says plainly that there is no central heating.

Tom answers 10.1, 11.1 and 11.2 in the same way as Priya: No improvements, then the repair clauses from his own tenancy agreement with their numbers.

Question 12.1: "What do you think the open market rent should be?"

Why this works. Tom gives full rent evidence even though he thinks the notice is invalid. If the tribunal decides the notice is valid, it goes on to decide the rent. His evidence is then already there.

Question 12.2: "Do you have any evidence in support of your proposed open market rent?"

Why this works. Three homes can show a range when each one is labelled honestly. The flat with gas central heating is the dearest, which supports Tom's point about his storage heaters.

Question 12.3: "Is there any other information you would like the tribunal to take into account in determining the rent?"

Why this works. Location affects what a home would let for. Tom describes the problem in facts (opening hours, smells, noise) rather than feelings.

Questions 13.1 and 14.1: "Do you agree to the tribunal making a decision without an inspection?" and "Do you agree to the tribunal making a decision without a hearing?"

Why this works. Tom's validity point is about dates and an email, which are documents. He does not need an inspection or a hearing to show them.

Question 16.1: "Are you asking the tribunal to make an order requiring the landlord to reimburse you for all (or part) of the application fee paid?"

Why this works. It links the request to both parts of his case. The tribunal decides whether to make the order.

Tom pays the £47 fee by card: he ticks the card payment box in section 16 and gives his email address. There is no hearing fee. He signs and dates the statement of truth. He emails the form to marketrents@justice.gov.uk with his evidence and a complete copy of his Form 4A and tenancy agreement, before 15 August 2026. As the MR1 requires, Tom emails a copy of everything to his landlord as well. He keeps proof of both emails. He keeps paying £875 a month until the tribunal decides.

Tenant C: Dawn, disrepair and a hardship request

Made-up example. Dawn's house has damp and an unreliable boiler. She is on a low income. She challenges the rent and asks the tribunal to delay the date any new rent starts.

• A two-bedroom mid-terraced house in Stoke-on-Trent, with a small back yard.
• A monthly tenancy that began on 28 April 2022. Her rent periods run from the 28th. Rent £795 a month.
• The landlord's Form 4A arrived by post on 20 August 2026. It proposes £925 a month from 28 October 2026.
• Black mould in the back bedroom, a boiler about 18 years old that keeps breaking down and single-glazed windows at the back.
• She works part-time, gets Universal Credit and lives with her son, aged 9.
• She applies for Help with Fees online first. Then she fills in the paper MR1 and posts it.

Question 1.1: "What type of appeal are you making?"

Why this works. The same option as Priya. Her hardship request goes in section 15, not here.

Question 5.1: "What is your current rent?"

Why this works. Plain figures and dates copied from her tenancy agreement and bank statements.

Question 6.3: "Give the number and type of rooms, for example, one living room, two bedrooms, one bathroom"

Why this works. Listing the rooms floor by floor makes a house easy to picture. The back yard goes in 6.4, which asks about outside space.

Question 9.1: "Describe the property's indoor features"

Why this works. Condition is part of what sets the open market rent. Form 4A says "The tribunal can consider other factors like the condition of the property". Dawn gives dates and numbers rather than words like "terrible".

Question 10.1: "Have you or any former tenant(s) carried out improvement work or replaced any fixtures, fittings or furniture for which you or they were not responsible under the terms of the tenancy?"

Why this works. Section 14(2) of the Housing Act 1988 tells the tribunal to disregard any increase in value from certain improvements made by a tenant. Dawn says what she did, when, what it cost and who agreed.

Questions 11.1 and 11.2: "What repairs are the responsibility of the landlord?" and "What repairs are the responsibility of the tenant?"

Why this works. The damp, the boiler and the windows all fall on the landlord's side. Saying so here makes the disrepair in 12.3 easier to follow.

Question 12.1: "What do you think the open market rent should be?"

Why this works. Dawn links her figure to the condition of her home and to her evidence. She argues the market rent, not what she can afford. Her money worries go in section 15.

Question 12.2: "Do you have any evidence in support of your proposed open market rent?"

Why this works. Two of the three homes are in better condition than Dawn's. Her answer at 12.1 says so. That helps the tribunal see why her figure is lower than those two homes.

Question 12.3: "Is there any other information you would like the tribunal to take into account in determining the rent?"

Why this works. A dated list is easier to follow than a long paragraph. It shows when the landlord was told and what happened next. The last sentence matters because the tribunal disregards any drop in value caused by a tenant not keeping to the tenancy terms (section 14(2)(c) of the Housing Act 1988).

Question 13.1: "Do you agree to the tribunal making a decision without an inspection?"

Why this works. The MR1 says to ask for an inspection only if something about the property "cannot be explained or evidenced in documents and photographs alone". Dawn says what that is. The tribunal decides whether to inspect.

Question 14.1: "Do you agree to the tribunal making a decision without a hearing?"

Why this works. An inspection and a hearing are separate questions. Dawn wants the tribunal to see the house but has nothing to add in person beyond her written evidence.

Question 15.1: "Are you suggesting that a rent increase will cause you hardship?"

Why this works. GOV.UK says you "must provide full details of your financial circumstances" and explain why paying from the proposed date would cause hardship. Dawn gives figures that add up and attaches evidence. Her request stays within the limit: for a Form 4A challenge, the MR1 says the tribunal can delay payment "up to two months after the date of its decision" (section 14ZB(4)).

Hardship changes when the new rent starts, not how much it is. Even without it, the new rent is not backdated. It starts on the date in the notice only if the decision comes first. Otherwise it starts at the beginning of the first rent period on or after the decision (section 14ZB(3)).

Question 16.1: "Are you asking the tribunal to make an order requiring the landlord to reimburse you for all (or part) of the application fee paid?"

Why this works. Dawn does not know yet how much Help with Fees will cover. She writes her Help with Fees (HWF) reference number in section 16 and asks only for any part she ends up paying. The tribunal decides whether to make the order.

Dawn signs and dates the statement of truth. She posts the form to First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), Residential Property, Market Rents, PO Box 10057, Leicester LE19 9EP, with a complete copy of her Form 4A, her tenancy agreement and her evidence. She posts it in good time, because the tribunal has to receive it before 28 October 2026. She posts a copy of everything to her landlord too and keeps proof of posting for both.

Common mistakes in MR1 answers

• Vague answers. "The rent is too high" gives the tribunal nothing to work with. "Similar two-bedroom flats nearby are advertised at £1,150 to £1,250 a month and one in my block was let for £1,200 (see 12.2)" does.
• No evidence. GOV.UK says the tribunal uses the information from both sides "along with their own expertise". If you send no comparables, the tribunal has only its own knowledge and whatever your landlord sends, if anything. Send what you have, even if it is only a few adverts.
• Asking rents shown as agreed rents. An advert shows what a landlord hopes to get. Label each comparable honestly as asking, agreed or set by the tribunal. GOV.UK says evidence from actual agreed lettings is stronger.
• Arguing affordability instead of market rent. The tribunal decides the open market rent for your home, not what you can afford. If the increase would cause you hardship, say so in section 15. That deals with when the new rent starts, not the amount.
• Not attaching the notice. The MR1 says a copy of the landlord's notice of increase "must be attached to your application form". Send every page of your Form 4A, not just the first one.
• Missing the deadline. The tribunal has to receive your MR1 before the start date of the new rent in your notice. GOV.UK says to apply "even if you're still collecting your supporting evidence".
• Personal details in photos. The MR1 says your photos "will be shared with your landlord, their representative or letting agent (if any) and the tribunal". Check each one for letters, family photos and anything with your name on it.
• Not sending a copy to your landlord. If you apply by email or post, the MR1 says "You must send a copy of the application to the landlord and any interested party by email or post." Send the same attachments and keep proof. If you apply online, the tribunal sends it.
• Copying an example word for word. Your answers have to be your own facts. You sign a statement of truth saying they are true.

The fee and what happens next

The application fee is £47. There is no hearing fee. If money is tight, you can apply for Help with Fees. GOV.UK says you can do this before or after you pay the fee.

The MR1 says your landlord "will have 28 days to send you and the tribunal their response on a form called MR2". If they respond, "you have 14 days to respond using form MR3". GOV.UK says "The decision is often made just on the documents submitted."

The tribunal cannot make you pay more than the rent your landlord proposed (section 14ZB(5)). The new rent is not backdated. If paying from the usual date would cause you undue hardship, the tribunal can set a later date, up to two months after its decision.

Read next

• What the tribunal looks at: market rent evidence. How to find and label comparable rents.
• The MR1 form, step by step. What every section of the form asks.
• How to challenge a rent increase in England. The whole process from notice to decision.

Help with your own answers

We give general guidance and made-up examples only. We cannot look at your form or tell you what to write. The tribunal can answer questions about the process on 0300 303 5857, but it "cannot give legal advice on your case". For advice on your own situation, contact Shelter, Citizens Advice or a law centre.

Questions people ask

Can I copy these example answers into my own MR1?

No. Priya, Tom and Dawn are made up and so are their homes and figures. Use the examples to see what a clear answer looks like. Then write your own facts in your own words. You sign a statement of truth that says "I believe that the facts stated in this form and any continuation pages are true."

Will RentersExpert fill in, check or send my MR1?

No. We give general guidance only. You fill in, sign, pay for and send your own application, using the online service or the paper form. We do not contact the tribunal or your landlord for you. For advice on your own case, contact Shelter, Citizens Advice or a law centre.

What if I have no agreed rents to compare?

Use what you can find and label it honestly. Adverts show asking rents. Recent decisions on the GOV.UK residential property tribunal decisions register show rents the tribunal set. If you use one, pick a decision that sets an open market rent for a similar home, not a fair rent decision. GOV.UK says details from market rental agreements are usually stronger evidence than previous fair rent decisions. It also says information from letting agents or websites can help but evidence from actual agreed lettings is stronger. Apply before the start date even if you are still collecting evidence.

Can the tribunal make me pay more than my landlord proposed?

No. Under section 14ZB(5) of the Housing Act 1988 the new rent is the open market rent if that is lower than the proposed rent. Otherwise it is the proposed rent. Form 4A says you will not be required to pay more than the rent the landlord first proposed.

Do I need to ask for an inspection or a hearing?

Usually not. The MR1 says the tribunal will usually make its decision based on the documents and evidence provided. Ask for an inspection only if something about your home cannot be shown in documents and photos. Ask for a hearing only if you want to add to your evidence in person or online. Say why. The tribunal decides.

Sources

1. MR1 Apply for a determination of an open market rent, version 08.26 (GOV.UK PDF)
2. GOV.UK: Apply for an open market rent determination (updated 10 August 2026)
3. Apply online for an open market rent determination (HMCTS)
4. Housing Act 1988, section 13 (notice of a new rent, two months' notice)
5. Housing Act 1988, section 14 (open market rent, applications under (A3))
6. Housing Act 1988, section 14ZB (no higher rent, start date, hardship)
7. First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Fees Order 2013, Schedule 1 (£47, no hearing fee)
8. GOV.UK: Get help paying court and tribunal fees
9. GOV.UK: Residential property tribunal decisions
10. Form 4A, version 05.26 (GOV.UK PDF)
11. Interpretation Act 1978, Schedule 1 (month means calendar month)
12. Shelter professional guide: Check the section 13 notice is valid