Applying to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)
How cases are managed
Case management powers
The tribunal can regulate their own procedure. Among other things, they can:
- extend or shorten the time allowed to keep to a rule or direction even if the person concerned does not apply for more time until the time limit has passed
- allow or ask someone involved in the application or another person to provide documents or information to them or to someone involved in the proceedings
- ask a person to state whether they intend to attend, be represented at or call witnesses at a hearing
- hold a hearing, decide the form it will take, and adjourn or postpone it
- stay proceedings (put them on hold)
- transfer the hearing to another court or tribunal
- delay putting a decision in place until after an appeal
Lead cases
If there are two or more cases with the same or related issues, one case can be nominated as the lead case and the related cases will not be decided until after the tribunal have reached a decision on the lead case.
Decisions in lead cases can then be applied to future cases with the same or related issues.
Transfer to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber)
The tribunal can refer cases that are complex or involve an important principle of the law or large amounts of money to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber).
Deployment pilot
The tribunal is running a pilot scheme (the deployment pilot) under which they will deal with cases that would usually have been considered in separate hearings before the county court and the tribunal.
Examples of the types of cases that will be dealt with under the deployment pilot include:
- service charge cases where other issues are raised, such as counterclaims where someone has broken a condition of the lease (for example, where you are claiming your landlord has not kept the building in a good state of repair)
- cases where you cannot trace your landlord under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 and the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993
The tribunal will only decide further county court issues if everyone involved agrees to this.
At the end of a case dealt with under the deployment pilot, the tribunal will make a county court order and issue a tribunal decision.
- Last updated:
- 11 May 2025
- Next review:
- 18 December 2026