New Property Chamber begins work

The Property Chamber begins work today, a new first-tier tribunal which will take over the work previously done by the residential property and agricultural land tribunals, and the Adjudicator to HM Land Registry.

The Chamber will operate under a single set of procedural rules, which also come into force today, replacing seven sets of rules that previously covered the different jurisdictions.

It is headed by the president Siobhan McGrath, supported by two principal judges and 19 salaried judges, and will handle around 12,000 cases per year.

The Chamber's jurisdiction will include disputes over the value of freehold enfranchisements and lease extensions, previously handled by the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal and over service charges.

The Adjudicator to the Land Registry's work, including disputes over boundaries and adverse possession, will be carried out by the principal judge with responsibility for land registration.

Disagreements between agricultural tenants and their landlords and some drainage disputes will be handled by the principal judge with responsibility for agricultural land and drainage.

Daniel Dovar, barrister at Tansfield Chambers, said the simplification of the rules would be "very helpful", but solicitors should be aware that there would now be new application forms.

He said there had been talk of incorporating the Valuation Tribunal into the new Chamber, but this was unlikely to happen in the immediate future.

"The Chamber will provide a one-stop service for a whole range of residential and agricultural property disputes," McGrath, its new president said. "We hope also to develop forms of alternative dispute resolution, building on existing work in the Chamber on mediation."

The first-tier and upper tribunals were created in November 2008, merging with HM Courts Service in April 2011 to form HM Courts & Tribunals Service.

The Property Chamber was created using the Lord Chancellor's powers under the Tribunals, Courts & Enforcement Act 2007. The Transfer of Tribunal Functions Order and amendments to the 2007 Act were agreed by parliament on 29 April and come into effect on 1 July.