Property Tribunal Cases Rise 56% Since Renters' Rights Act

Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by The Negotiator. Read the original article for full details.

Property Tribunal Cases Rise 56% Since Renters' Rights Act

Cases heard at the First Tier Property Tribunal have spiked since the introduction of the Renters' Rights Act, according to official Ministry of Justice statistics. The rental reforms gave tenants more power to challenge landlords, including over issues such as rent increases.

Government data shows a 56% annual rise in property-related cases during the second quarter of 2026, between April and June. The reforms were introduced in May. The figures cover rent cases, leasehold enfranchisement claims, leasehold disputes, Housing Act 2004 cases and park homes, and include disputes involving the private rented sector and leasehold homes across England.

Annual caseload up 24%

The total number of Property Tribunal cases is up 24% to 15,929 annually as of the end of June. Savills said the figures provide an early indication of rising levels of conflict in the lead-up to, and immediate aftermath of, the Renters' Rights Act reforms, and suggested the data offers a barometer of how housing disputes are evolving as the sector adjusts to the new rules.

Lucian Cook, head of residential research at Savills, said that as the Renters' Rights Act beds in, the number of cases would be expected to rise exponentially, particularly in respect of rent reviews. He noted that both buy-to-let landlords and the Government will have a keen eye on the capacity to process these cases. Landlords will be particularly concerned to see if this results in a delay in the ability to charge a reviewed market rent, while the Government will be concerned with both the cost of administration and the need for any tweaks in the regulations.

Wider context for agents and landlords

The data comes after research from LonRes last month revealed that more tribunal decisions on rental reviews are ruling in favour of tenants. The Government has also announced that HMRC will take over rent reviews to ease pressure on the Property Tribunal, although a timeline has not yet been set out.

For letting agents and inventory clerks, the figures underline the growing importance of thorough, well-documented rent review and property records as disputes make their way through the tribunal system.