Facing a large rent increase?
Commercial rent review and lease renewal surveyors for tenants
If your landlord has proposed a revised rent at review or renewal, we will negotiate to ensure the lowest and fairest rent possible. It starts with our free, no-obligation lease analysis.
Are you a landlord? Rent reviews for landlords
£96,250saved for a tenant: shop, North London
Tenant · Industrial · Basildon
£255,500
saved over five years
Rent increase calculator
What will the rent increase cost you?
The increase times the years to the next review: a rise from £40,000 to £52,000 a year costs you £60,000 over five years.
Put in your own figures: your current rent and the rent your landlord has proposed. Most leases review the rent every three, four or five years.
Whether the increase is justified is a different question. That depends on the open market rental value, proved by comparable evidence, not on a percentage.
The increase would cost you
£0 over 5 years
- A year£0
- Change0%
- Per sq ft£0 to £0
That isn't an increase. If your rent is due for review or renewal, we can still look at your lease.
You don't have to accept a proposed rent increase. Most commercial leases say the new rent should reflect the open market rental value, so an increase the evidence doesn't support can be challenged. Some leases set strict time limits, so talk to us as soon as a rent review or lease renewal notice arrives. We'll analyse your lease free of charge.
How much can a rent review surveyor save you?
In two recent cases, £255,500 and £96,250 over five years. Since 1966 we have saved many millions of pounds for the tenants we represent.
The saving comes round every year. The Basildon tenant pays £51,100 a year less than the landlord asked (£6.70 per sq ft instead of £8.00), which comes to £255,500 over five years.
Industrial · Basildon
£255,500
saved over 5 years£51,100 a year
Shop · North London
£96,250
saved over 5 years£19,250 a year
What can a rent review surveyor do for a tenant?
Challenge an increase the evidence doesn't support, lower the rent at renewal, keep you inside the deadlines, and put your case if talks fail.
Challenge an increase
If there is no evidence for your landlord's figure, we negotiate so that an excessive demand is reduced and a fair open market rental value agreed.
Can you challenge a rent increase?Lower the rent at renewal
At a lease renewal it is common practice for rents to reduce, and we often negotiate a new rent below the old one.
Can your rent go down?Meet the deadlines
Talking to us early means you won't fall foul of time limits: some leases give a tenant as little as 21 days to object to a proposed rent.
How quickly do you need to act?Settle a dispute
If negotiations fail, we can represent you and put your case in writing at arbitration or expert determination.
What if you and your landlord can't agree?
How we help tenants with a rent review or renewal
We analyse your lease free of charge, negotiate on the evidence, and settle by agreement or, if it comes to it, arbitration.
Free lease analysis
We'll analyse your lease without charge and in confidence, and explain our fee options: fixed, performance-based, or both.
We negotiate on the evidence
We build your case from comparable rents, drawing on our own property database, and negotiate with your landlord or their representative.
Agreement or arbitration
Most cases are settled by negotiation. If not, your lease may provide for arbitration or expert determination, and we'll put your case.
What really stood out was their calm, proactive approach to negotiation and how smoothly they managed the entire negotiation process from start to finish.
Talk to us early. Some leases set strict time limits for rent review notices, and missing one can be costly. Read: Time can be of the essence
Book a free lease analysisWhich tenants do we act for?
Commercial tenants only: shops, restaurants, offices, industrial and warehouse premises, and medical, dental and veterinary practices, from 500 to 250,000 sq ft, across the UK. We don't act on homes or flats. Whether you pay around £20,000 a year for small premises or £500,000 for a substantial property, a landlord demanding a large increase, or the workings of the 1954 Act, can leave you in a vulnerable position.
A rent review can be a daunting prospect. We handle the process efficiently on your behalf and, where appropriate, negotiate creative and cost-effective solutions.
Your rent review questions answered
Can your landlord increase your commercial rent?
Yes, at a rent review or at a lease renewal. Most commercial leases have a rent review clause, which lets your landlord propose a new rent at set dates during the lease. When the lease ends, the rent is renegotiated as part of renewing it. Either way, you can oppose an increase that the evidence doesn't support.
How much can a commercial rent increase?
Under most leases, only as far as the open market rental value. To stop landlords proposing excessive increases, most leases say the new rent should be based on what the property would let for on the open market at the review date. There is no fixed percentage. Unless your lease fixes the increase or links it to RPI, how well your business trades and the rate of inflation are not the test: the evidence is. That means rents recently agreed for similar premises nearby, on similar terms, compared per square foot.
Can you challenge a rent increase at a rent review?
Yes, if the evidence doesn't support it. If there is no justification or evidence for your landlord's figure, you can oppose it. As specialist commercial rent review surveyors, we look for the comparable evidence, drawing on our own property database, and negotiate with your landlord or their representative so that an excessive demand is reduced and a fair open market rental value agreed. The lease matters too: its clauses can affect the bargaining power of either side.
Can your rent go down?
At a rent review, usually not; at a lease renewal, it can. Most rent reviews are upward only, so the best outcome is for the rent to stay as it is, or for a proposed increase to be kept to the minimum. At a lease renewal it is common practice for rents to reduce, and we often negotiate a new rent below the old one for the tenants we represent.
Where the market doesn't support an increase, we can also propose creative, amicable solutions that work financially for both tenant and landlord.
Are upwards-only rent reviews being banned?
Yes, in new business leases in England and Wales, but not yet. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 (opens in a new tab) received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. Once its rules are in force, the rent could go down at a review as well as up. Existing leases are not affected, so their upwards-only clauses still apply, but a lease renewal agreed on or after 17 March 2026 can be caught. The Government has not yet set the start date.
What happens to your rent when your commercial lease ends?
It is renegotiated as part of renewing the lease, unless you decide to leave. A crucial question is whether your lease is protected by the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, which gives tenants the legal right to renew and strengthens their negotiating position. A renewal is started by a Section 25 notice from the landlord or a Section 26 notice from the tenant, and legal advice is needed to serve one.
If you and your landlord can't agree, the court sets the new rent at what the property "might reasonably be expected to be let in the open market by a willing lessor" (section 34 of the 1954 Act (opens in a new tab)). That is why an in-depth knowledge of current market rents is crucial when agreeing the new terms.
How quickly do you need to act on a rent review notice?
Straight away. Most leases don't set strict deadlines for rent reviews, but some give a tenant as little as 21 days to object by serving a counter-notice. If it is missed or served wrongly, the landlord's proposed rent becomes final. Talking to us early means you won't fall foul of time limits that could have serious repercussions for your tenancy.
How much does a rent review surveyor cost?
With us, it starts with a free lease analysis, in confidence and without obligation. After that, our fees can be fixed, performance-based, or a mix of the two, and we'll explain the options before you decide.
Before you negotiate: our 11-point rent review checklist
Page updated
More questions tenants ask
Do I have an automatic right to renew my commercial lease?
Not always. If your lease is protected by the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, you have a legal right to renew, which strengthens your negotiating position. Whether it is protected is a crucial first question.
Can a rent review be backdated?
Often, yes. Most leases let the landlord serve a rent review notice at any point after the review date, even years later, and the new rent is then backdated to the review date. That can leave a tenant with a large, unbudgeted bill for back rent, so it pays to deal with the review on time.
Read: Avoiding back rentCan I ask my landlord to reduce the rent during the lease?
Yes. There is no official mechanism in most leases, but any rent can be agreed between landlord and tenant at any time. One route is a lease regear: offering to renew and take a longer lease in exchange for a lower rent, which gives the landlord the security of a longer-term tenant.
Read: How to ask for a rent reductionDo I need a surveyor for a rent review?
It is prudent to have one. Tenants who represent themselves often don't achieve the best outcome, and end up paying extra rent that a professional, with tough negotiating skills and an in-depth knowledge of commercial leases, could have saved them.
What happens if my landlord and I can't agree?
If the lease allows it, either side can ask the RICS to appoint an arbitrator or an independent expert. Both put their case in writing, and the decision on the rent is final. RICS charges a £425 fee just to make the appointment, and most rent reviews and renewals are agreed by negotiation instead.
What is a Section 25 or Section 26 notice?
They are the formal notices that start a lease renewal under the 1954 Act: a Section 25 notice is served by the landlord, and a Section 26 notice by the tenant. Legal advice is needed to serve one, and the dates they set matter, so talk to us as soon as one arrives.
Read: Section 25 and 26 notices explainedWho will handle your rent review?
Our partners, Richard L Daniels and Charles Daniels, and our dedicated rent review team, who give personal attention at all times.
Richard L DanielsFounding partnerFounded the firm in 1966; five decades in commercial and industrial property.rld@richardlionel.co.uk
Charles DanielsPartnerFifteen years representing landlords and tenants on offices, industrial and retail space.cd@richardlionel.co.uk
From the first consultation to the delivery of the final report, Charles was punctual, thorough, and easy to communicate with. He took the time to explain the process clearly, answered all my questions, and ensured I fully understood the results.
Book your free lease analysis
Fill in the form and one of our rent review specialists will contact you for a no obligation conversation, in the strictest of confidence.
Or call now
020 7487 4451- Mobile07795 298 748
- Emailcd@richardlionel.co.uk
Articles for tenants
All articles
How to Ask for a Rent Reduction
When a commercial Tenant can get the rent reduced, and why many Landlords would rather agree than lose a Tenant.Read the article
Avoiding Back Rent
Why letting a rent review date pass quietly can leave a Tenant with thousands of pounds of back rent.Read the article
Open Market Rental What?
The phrase in most commercial leases that decides how a rent review or lease renewal turns out, and the evidence that proves it.Read the article