12:01 AM, 11th September 2026, 2 hours ago
Residential property tribunal cases jumped 56% year on year during the quarter in which the Renters’ Rights Act came into force, according to analysis of Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures.
Savills says 4,613 cases were received between April and June, compared with just under 3,000 during the same three months last year.
However, the key tenancy reforms in the Act took effect on 1 May, meaning the latest quarter includes only two months under the new rules.
The MoJ has also says that the first full quarter following implementation will cover July to September, with those figures due to be published in December.
Over the 12 months to the end of June, 15,929 residential property cases were received, a 24% increase on the previous year.
That suggests tribunal activity was already climbing before the Act took effect rather than the latest increase being solely the result of the new legislation.
Property cases include rent disputes
The MoJ’s residential property category covers a wide range of cases, including rent disputes, leasehold enfranchisement claims, leasehold disputes, Housing Act 2004 cases and park homes.
For landlords, however, attention is increasingly turning to rent cases following the abolition of fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies and the introduction of the new rent increase regime.
Under the Act, landlords must use the statutory process to increase rent, and tenants can challenge proposed increases at the First-tier Tribunal.
Savills expects that to lead to a sharp rise in referrals as landlords and tenants get used to the new system.
Lucian Cook, the firm’s head of residential research, said: “As the Renters’ Rights Act beds in, we’d expect to see the number of cases referred to Tribunal rise exponentially, particularly in respect of rent reviews.
“Both buy to let landlords, and the government will have a keen eye on the capacity to process these cases.”
He added: “Landlords will be particularly concerned to see if this results in a delay in the ability to charge a reviewed market rent.
“Meanwhile, the government will be concerned with both the cost of administration and the need for any tweaks in the regulations.”
Tribunal capacity under scrutiny
The capacity of the tribunal system could become an increasingly important issue if rent challenges rise substantially.
A large increase in applications would leave landlords watching closely for any backlog which could delay decisions on proposed market rents.
The government will also be monitoring how frequently tenants use the tribunal process and the administrative burden created by the new system.
The MoJ has already indicated that more detailed information is coming.
In its latest tribunal statistics, it said it intends to publish ‘more granular data’ on the tribunal affected by the Act.
The extra detail should show more clearly how much of the increase is being driven by rent disputes rather than other residential property cases.
