Form MR3: replying to what your landlord told the tribunal

Where it comes from

When you apply for an open market rent determination — on the MR1 — the tribunal writes to your landlord and gives them a chance to respond. It sends you the MR3 at the same time, so that you have it ready if you need it.

If your landlord responds, you can reply to that response using the MR3. If they do not respond, there is nothing to reply to and you do not need to send one.

What it is for

It is your chance to answer what your landlord has actually said, rather than what you thought they would say. That is worth taking seriously: it is usually the first time you see their argument set out, and it is often the only opportunity to answer it before the tribunal decides.

What to put in it

Answer their points, in their order, and stay on the question the tribunal is deciding — what the property would let for on the open market. Anything else, however true, is not what is being decided.

• Where they have named comparable properties, say how yours differs from them: size, condition, what is included in the rent.
• Where they have described the property, correct anything that is not right, and say what you can show for it.
• Where they have relied on improvements, say who paid for them. Work you or a previous tenant paid for is treated differently from work the landlord did.
• Keep to what you can evidence. An assertion the tribunal cannot check is worth less than a photograph or a receipt.

The deadline

The tribunal will tell you when it needs your reply by. That date is set by the tribunal in your case, not by a general rule, so take it from the letter they sent you rather than from anywhere else — including here.