First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)

Its residential property division deals with leasehold cases. It's less formal than a court, and people often represent themselves.

What it decides that matters to blocks

• Right to manage: whether an RTM company is entitled to manage, after a disputed counter-noticeCounter-noticeThe landlord's formal reply to a right to manage claim notice, either admitting that the RTM company is entitled to manage or saying why it is not..
• Service charges: whether a charge is payable, by whom, how much and when, even if it has already been paid (s.27A).
• Administration charges: whether they're reasonable.
• Section 20: dispensationDispensationAn order by the First-tier Tribunal excusing a landlord or management company from some or all of the Section 20 consultation requirements, where it is reasonable to do so. from the consultation requirements.
• Appointing a manager for a badly managed building (Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 Part 2).

It doesn't decide claims for unpaid debts on its own: arrears are collected through the county court, which can send questions about reasonableness to the tribunal.

In Wales, the equivalent is the Residential Property Tribunal Wales. Applications use the forms on GOV.UK, and there are fees. Free initial advice is available from LEASELEASE (The Leasehold Advisory Service)A government-funded body that gives free initial advice on residential leasehold law to leaseholders, landlords, RTM companies, residents' management companies and others..