u/psychosomaticbliss

Hi all,

Quite taken aback by this situation so would appreciate any advice.

We are three people sharing what is essentially a four bedroom house in London. Two of us have been here for \~5 years, one of us \~4.

12 months ago, our previous housemate moved out, and Housemate A's partner moved in. Unfortunately, partner was still in the process of sorting their residency, so we confirmed with the letting agent that we would be reducing the house to three tenants, but we split the rent four ways.

Housemate A's partner unexpectedly moved out towards the end of 2025. Instead of replacing partner, Housemate A opted to pay partner's share of the rent.

Housemate A is now moving out, leaving the two remaining tenants to need to find two new housemates to cover both rent portions.

Upon informing the letting agent of this, they have proposed an increase of 28.5% to the monthly rent. As we have not been splitting the rent three ways, this represents an absolutely monumental rent increase.

What are our rights here to push back? A small percentage increase is expected, but this will put significant financial strain on us.

\- Is it worth us informing the letting agent that Housemate A was paying half of the rent? From a moral perspective, they would understand the purpose of receiving a new housemate was to keep the house affordable, not to reduce our rent.

\- Realistically,it would be more worthwhile to stay as a three person tenancy to avoid this increase. Is this ultimatum worth suggesting? If we were to do so, to split the current rent three ways would also cause significant financial strain.

On the house, it is worth noting that it is quite run down. We have been very easy to manage tenants. We have had to wait for things like leaks to be fixed, and we have put up with a very damp bathroom for a long time. It is also worth saying that rent increases during the \~5 year tenancy have been annual and within reason.

This is all for now but any help very very much appreciated, thank you.