Tribunals: Rents
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the capacity of the Tribunal Service to handle the number of rent reviews following recent legislative reforms.
Answered by Sarah Sackman
The Ministry of Justice has and continues to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure that the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) has the capacity to handle the number of rent appeals following commencement of the Renters’ Rights Act on 1 May 2026.
Additional staff have been recruited and an existing HMCTS site has been expanded so that all new rent appeal cases can be administered nationally from a single centralised location to improve efficiency and operational processes.
We are maintaining investment in the annual recruitment of around 1,000 judges and tribunal members across all courts and tribunals, with specific recruitment ongoing for the First-tier Tribunal Property Chamber.
To ensure long-term sustainability, we have concluded that there is a case for the use of a non-judicial alternative body or mechanism to make initial rent determinations, subject to completing a full viability assessment of this. We are working with partners across government to develop this rent determination function as quickly as possible.
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →