Spotlight : Residential Property Tribunal Service
There are big changes ahead at the Residential Property Tribunal Service (RPTS). In the first of our jurisdiction profiles, Adjust newsletter puts Siobhan McGrath, the Senior President of the RPTS, in the hot seat.
What is the Residential Property Tribunal Service (RPTS)?
The RPTS is a tribunal service which helps landlords, tenants and leaseholders settle disputes about rents and leasehold property in England. It is sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, but operates independently of Government.
It operates through five regional Rent Assessment Panels, which are made up of lawyers, valuers and lay members.
What sorts of cases do you deal with?
Rent Assessment Panels provide members for two main types of tribunal – Rent Assessment Committees and Leasehold Valuation Tribunals.
Rent Assessment Committees set:
- fair rents for regulated tenancies (created before 1989), where tenants and/or landlords object to the rent fixed by the Rent Officer;
- rents for assured tenants (created after 1989), where tenants ask them to do so.
Leasehold Valuation Tribunals:
- decide disputes about the valuation of houses or flats in cases where leaseholders want to buy the freehold or extend their leases;
- decide disputes about service charges and insurance;
- can appoint a new manager of a block of flats;
- can decide a range of other disputes concerning residential leasehold properties.
What does RPTS do to improve access for users?
RPTS has a series of easy to follow procedural guides available free of charge to users. There is also a national helpline (0845-600-3178).
RPTS is one of the first tribunals to launch a video to guide people through the simple procedure of applying to one of its committees or tribunals. It is aimed at people representing themselves at hearings without professional help. It will be sent to such users with the letter fixing their hearing date and is available to other users on request.
How many cases does RPTS deal with in an average year and what are your targets?
In 2004, RPTS dealt with almost 7,000 cases - a rise of almost 50% from the preceding year. RPTS aims to deal with 90% of disputes about rents within ten weeks or less, and to deal with 90% of disputes relating to leasehold property within 20 weeks or less. There are further targets to issue decisions in rents cases within four weeks of the hearing and within six weeks of the hearing in leasehold cases. Despite the increase in workload, RPTS is meeting, or nearly meeting, all these targets.
What is likely to change in the way RPTS is run over the coming years?
The caseload of RPTS has increased substantially as a result of the enhanced and additional jurisdictions given to it under the Commonhold & Leasehold Reform Act 2002. This gives lessees greater rights in respect of their properties.
The Housing Act 2004 will add five new jurisdictions to RPTS. These will involve appeals in the case of local authority orders arising from the new housing fitness standards regime, appeals in respect of the new selective licensing of landlords regime and the new licensing system for houses in multiple occupation. RPTS will also be taking on appeals against the refusal of the Right to Buy in the case of housing adapted for the elderly, and, in due course, a new role in confirming orders under local authorities' new powers to take over and manage empty homes. All these new jurisdictions are likely to add a further 5000 or so cases annually to RPTS' workload.
Adjust understands you have recently conducted a customer satisfaction survey. What did the results show?
The survey in February 2004 showed that almost three quarters of our users are happy with the service we offer at panel and national level. From April 2005, NOP will be conducting a rolling customer survey for us to provide feedback on the quality of customer service.
(January 2005)