Introduction

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgement is given to The Residential Property Tribunal Service for the source material.

Crown Copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland.

Introduction to Subject

The RPTS is the public body that can decide many Rent and Leasehold disputes. It is the umbrella organisation for the five regional offices called Rent Assessment Panels which provide an independent, fair and accessible tribunal service in England for settling disputes involving private rented and leasehold property. They do this through:

• Rent Assessment Committees: which determine disputes about fair and market rents
• Leasehold Valuation Tribunals: which determine disputes involving leasehold property
• Residential Property Tribunals: which determine certain appeals against denial of the Right to Buy as well as appeals made under the Housing Act 2004.

The Committees and Tribunals under the RPTS umbrella are quasi-judicial bodies, which means that Government legislation has given them the powers to settle certain types of dispute which would otherwise have to be dealt with by the Courts. Through its Committees and Tribunals the RPTS aims to provide an easier and generally cheaper access to justice. While there is a scale of fees for some, but not all, types of leasehold dispute, there is no fee for dealing with disputes about Market or Fair rents or appeals against the denial of the Right to Buy.

Just to note, Rent Assessment Panels do not have the power to deal with all types of dispute about rents and leasehold matters. In addition, the Rent Assessment Panels, their Committees or Tribunals have no powers to become involved in disputes about commercial property.

The RPTS covers the whole of England from five regional offices based in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cambridge, Chichester. Contact details can be found on the RPTS website - see "Additional Resources".

Separate Panels cover Scotland and Wales.

Wales

The Residential Property Tribunal (formerly known as the Rent Assessment Panel for Wales) is an independent statutory body set up under the Rent Act 1965. The Tribunal's main responsibilities are to set up Rent Assessment Committees and Rent Tribunals to consider appeals over rent levels and to fix an appropriate rent where there are disputes between landlords and tenants in the Private Rented Sector. The Tribunal also sets up Leasehold Valuation Tribunals to settle certain disputes between leaseholders and freeholders.

Legislation

• Residential Property Tribunal Procedure (England) Regulations 2006
• Residential Property Tribunal (Fees) (England) Regulations 2006
• Residential Property Tribunal Procedure (Wales) Regulations 2006
• Residential Property Tribunal (Fees) (Wales) Regulations 2006
• The Residential Property Tribunal Procedures and Fees (England) Regulations 2011