Rent Act 1977

Procedure on application to rent officerE+W

1E+WOn receiving any application for the registration of a rent, the rent officer may, by notice in writing served on the landlord or on the tenant (whether or not the applicant or one of the applicants), require him to give to the rent officer, within such period of not less than 7 days from the service of the notice as may be specified in the notice, such information as he may reasonably require regarding such of the particulars contained in the application as may be specified in the notice.

[F12(1)Where the application is made jointly by the landlord and the tenant and it appears to the rent officer, after making such inquiry, if any, as he thinks fit and considering any information supplied to him in pursuance of paragraph I above, that the rent specified in the application is a fair rent, he may register that rent without further proceedings.E+W

(2)Where the rent officer registers a rent under this paragraph he shall notify the landlord and tenant accordingly. ]]

F2[3(1)In the case of an application which does not fall within paragraph 2 above, the rent officer shall serve on the landlord and on the tenant a notice inviting the person on whom the notice is served to state in writing, within a period of not less than seven days after the service of the notice, whether he wishes the rent officer to consider, in consultation with the landlord and the tenant, what rent ought to be registered for the dwelling-house.E+W

(2)A notice served under sub-paragraph (1) above on the person who did not make the application shall be accompanied—

(a)by a copy of the application; and

(b)where, in pursuance of section 67(2)(b), the application was accompanied by details of the landlord’s expenditure in connection with the provisions of services, by a copy of those details.]

F3[3AE+WIf, after service of a notice by the rent officer under paragraph 3(1) above, no request in writing is made within the period specified in the notice for the rent to be considered as mentioned in that paragraph, the rent officer after considering what rent ought to be registered or, as the case may be, whether a different rent ought to be registered, may—

(a)determine a fair rent and register it as the rent for the dwelling-house; or

(b)confirm the rent for the time being registered and note the confirmation in the register; or

(c)serve a notice under paragraph 4(2) below.

4[F4(1)Where, in response to a notice served by the rent officer under paragraph 3(1) above, the landlord or the tenant states in writing that he wishes the rent to be considered as mentioned in that paragraph, the rent officer shall serve a notice under this paragraph.]E+W

(2)A notice under this paragraph shall be served on the landlord and on the tenant informing them that the rent officer proposes, at a time (which shall not be earlier than 7 days after the service of the [F5notice, or 14 days in a case failing within paragraph 3(2)(b) above,] and place specified in the notice, to consider in consultation with the landlord and the tenant, or such of them as may appear at that time and place, what rent ought to be registered for the dwelling-house or, as the case may be, whether a different rent ought to be so registered.

(3)At any such consultation the landlord and the tenant may each be represented by a person authorised by him in that behalf, whether or not that person is of counsel or a solicitor.

[F6(4)The rent officer may, where he considers it appropriate, arrange for consultations in respect of one dwelling-house to be held together with consultations in respect of one or more other dwelling-houses.]

5E+WAfter considering, in accordance with paragraph 4 above, what rent ought to be registered or, as the case may be, whether a different rent ought to be registered, the rent officer shall, as the case may require,—

(a)determine a fair rent and register it as the rent for the dwelling-house; or

(b)confirm the rent for the time being registered and note the confirmation in the register;

[F75AE+W Where a rent has been registered or confirmed by the rent officer under paragraph 3A or 5 above, he shall] notify the landlord and the tenant accordingly by a notice stating that if, with 28 days of the service of the notice or such longer period as he or [F8the appropriate tribunal] may allow, an objection in writing is received by the rent officer from the landlord or the tenant the matter will be referred to [F8the appropriate tribunal] .

6(1)If such an objection as is mentioned in paragraph [F95A] above is received, then—E+W

(a)if it is received within the period of 28 days specified in that paragraph or [F10the appropriate tribunal] so direct, the rent officer shall refer the matter to [F10the appropriate tribunal] ;

(b)if it is received after the expiry of that period the rent officer may either refer the matter to [F10the appropriate tribunal] or seek the directions of [F10the appropriate tribunal] committee whether so to refer it.

(2)The rent officer shall indicate in the register whether the matter has been referred to a rent assessment committee in pursuance of this paragraph.