# First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)

The tribunal in England that decides most leasehold disputes, including right to manage claims, whether service charges are payable or reasonable, and applications for dispensation from Section 20 consultation.

Also called: FTT, property tribunal, leasehold tribunal, Residential Property Tribunal.

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-notice](https://runyourblock.co.uk/glossary/counter-notice).
- **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:** [dispensation](https://runyourblock.co.uk/glossary/dispensation) 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 [LEASE](https://runyourblock.co.uk/glossary/lease-advisory-service).

## Related terms

- [Counter-notice](https://runyourblock.co.uk/glossary/counter-notice)
- [Dispensation](https://runyourblock.co.uk/glossary/dispensation)
- [Service charge](https://runyourblock.co.uk/glossary/service-charge)
- [Administration charge](https://runyourblock.co.uk/glossary/administration-charge)

## Sources

- [GOV.UK: First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)](https://www.gov.uk/courts-tribunals/first-tier-tribunal-property-chamber)
- [Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.27A (liability to pay service charges: jurisdiction)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1985/70/section/27A)
- [Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, s.84 (counter-notices and applications)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/15/section/84)

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Updated 22 October 2026. Source: https://runyourblock.co.uk/glossary/first-tier-tribunal