Written question asked by Iqbal Mohamed (Independent (affiliation)) on Thursday, 11 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 15 June 2026. It was answered by Matthew Pennycook (Labour) on Friday, 19 June 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Service Charges: Overcharging

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will consider introducing a statutory requirement for landlords to notify local authorities and the Department for Work and Pensions when a First Tier Tribunal finds they have overcharged tenants, to ensure the repayment of overpaid public funds via Housing Benefit or Universal Credit.

Answer: Where a tenant challenges a proposed rent increase at the Tribunal, any rent increase will be payable only from the start of the next rent period following the date of the Tribunal’s determination. This means that, in such circumstances, if the Tribunal determines a rent level below what the landlord proposed, the landlord will not have received any rent above the level determined by the Tribunal. This is intended to protect tenants from falling into rent arrears.

Secondary information