No wigs. No lawyers required. £100 to start. What it is, what it costs, and what to expect.
Directors: the Tribunal is also your route for Right to Manage and Section 24 manager appointments. Since 3 March 2025, RTM eligibility has widened for mixed-use buildings.
Information only. Not legal advice.
Building Trust isn't always the right first call. Here's the honest decision:
LEASE is the government-funded Leasehold Advisory Service. Best first call for general questions on rights, processes, and statutory procedures. Free, by phone or online.
When the answer turns on the wording of your lease — clause analysis, demand validity, consent, or a specific argument: try LEASE-iQ free or Talk to us from £50.
When the money at stake is over £10,000, the position is contested, or you are heading to court or Tribunal: a UK property solicitor. We can introduce — or LEASE keeps a register.
The First-tier TribunalThe First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) is a specialist court that resolves disputes between leaseholders and landlords, including service charge challenges, lease extensions, and management orders. Fees start from £100. gov.uk (Property Chamber) is the place leaseholders and freeholders go when they cannot agree on something your lease or the law covers.
Residential Property Tribunal applications jumped 51% in Q3 2025. Leaseholders are using the FTT more, not less, and recent decisions have produced reductions of 20%, 33% and 50% on individual challenged items.
Source: HMCTS Tribunal Statistics Quarterly, Jul to Sep 2025. There is no costs award against leaseholders in most cases, unlike court litigation.
It is not a court. There are no wigs. It is closer to a structured meeting with a legally qualified panel.
What it handles: Service charge disputes, lease extension valuations, right to manage applications, appointment of a manager, and breach of covenant claims.
What leaseholders say: Most who attend say the same thingBased on conversations Adam Street has had with leaseholders across Hafer Road, online leasehold forums, and direct emails to Building Trust. Every leaseholder who has been through the Tribunal has said they wish they had applied sooner.: "I wish I had done this sooner."
Once a freeholder sees you have applied, many settle. They do not want to fight their own legal costs, and the Tribunal offers mediation and consent ordersThe First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) offers a mediation service and, in the Southern Tribunal, a conciliation function where a judge can review the merit of a case early. Parties can settle via consent order before a full hearing. LEASE notes "even with difficult freeholders, they are usually likely to want to settle rather than incur the costs of a tribunal hearing". lease-advice.org precisely because it is designed to push both sides to agree.
One leaseholder we spoke to was asked to pay £2,000 in disputed charges. After challenging the demand, citing rights under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, and signalling tribunal as the next step, the charges were dropped. He never paid.
The tribunal exists to be pointed at, not always entered. Knowing you can apply is often the leverage itself.
You have a dispute that fits one of these. The Tribunal can help resolve it.
Your freeholder or agent won't provide accounts, charges seem unreasonable, or they won't explain costs. Apply under Section 27ASection 27A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 gives leaseholders the right to apply to the First-tier Tribunal to determine whether a service charge is payable and whether it is reasonable. legislation.gov.uk of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.
You and the freeholder can't agree on the premium after serving a Section 42 notice. Either party can apply.
Your RTM company needs to apply if the freeholder disputes your right. The Tribunal determinesA determination is the tribunal's formal decision on a disputed issue. It is legally binding on both parties. The tribunal determines what is reasonable, not what the lease says. eligibility. Eligibility widened on 3 March 2025From 3 March 2025, the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 commencement raised the non-residential space cap for RTM claims from 25% to 50%, and RTM jurisdiction shifted from County Court to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) for cheaper, faster resolution. Hansard. More mixed-use buildings now qualify.
Your managing agentA managing agent (or property management company) is a professional firm appointed to handle the day-to-day management of a building on behalf of the freeholder or RTM company. They collect service charges, arrange maintenance, and manage contractors. is failing. Leaseholders can apply to replace them under Section 24 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987.
You've been charged for consenting to alterations, subletting, or other lease permissions. You can challenge if charges are unreasonable.
From application to decision. This is what to expect.
Have you written to the freeholder? Have you set deadlines? The Tribunal will expect you to have tried to resolve this first.
At gov.uk. The form takes about 30 minutes. You will need your address, lease details, and a summary of the dispute.
Application fees are on a sliding scale from £100 to £500First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) fees are set by the Lord Chancellor. The application fee is banded by case type and amount in dispute (currently £100 to £500). A hearing fee of £200 applies if the case proceeds to an oral hearing. See the official fees schedule. gov.uk depending on the type and amount in dispute. A separate hearing fee (currently £200) applies if your case goes to an oral hearing. The Tribunal can order the losing party to reimburse fees, but this is at its discretion rather than automatic.
Both parties submit written statements, correspondence, accounts, valuations. The Tribunal sets a deadline for each side.
Usually 1 to 3 hours. You can represent yourself. Most leaseholders do. The panel asks questions. It is structured but not adversarial.
Usually within 4 to 6 weeks. Written, reasoned, and binding.
End-to-end, plan for 9 to 15 months. It varies with regional backlog and case complexity.
The Tribunal is designed to be accessible. Costs are capped and predictable.
£100 to £500Current First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) application fees, set by the Lord Chancellor and banded by case type and amount in dispute. gov.uk depending on case type, plus a £200 hearing fee if your case goes to an oral hearing. The Tribunal has discretion to order fee reimbursement if you succeed.
You will not pay their legal fees or costs. Unlike court, each party bears their own costs. This is the biggest difference.
You do not need one. Many leaseholders represent themselves successfully. If you do use one, expect £1,000 to £5,000 depending on complexity. Watch for freeholders or agents steering you toward a King's Counsel opinion (£5,000+). Before paying, try a lease-reading tool or call LEASE for free advice. One LEASE-iQ user skipped a £5,000 KC opinion entirely after getting a clause-cited answer in minutes.
The Tribunal can order refund of unreasonable charges, adjust the lease extension premium, or appoint a new manager.
You will feel nervous. This is normal. The panel is used to unrepresented parties and will guide you.
It happens in a meeting room, not a courtroom. Some hearings are now remote (video call).
Usually 2 to 3 people. A legally qualified chair plus a surveyor or other specialist.
You present your case, the other side presents theirs. The panel asks questions throughout.
Bring all your evidence in a bundle. Organised chronologically. Three copies if in person.
Be factual, not emotional. The panel wants evidence, not opinions.
The panel will expect you to submit a bundle of evidence before the hearing. This is a paginated, indexed file of every document you rely on. Print this checklist and work through it.
Need to find the relevant clauses in your lease? Upload it to LEASE-iQ → and it will cite the exact clauses you need for your bundle.
LEASE (the Leasehold Advisory Service) offers free, independent advice to leaseholders on all Tribunal matters. They can help you decide whether to apply and what to expect.
Get free advice from LEASE →Know exactly what yours says before you apply. Upload it to LEASE-iQ and ask any question about your rights or obligations.
Try LEASE-iQ free →