The president of the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) is celebrating the 50th birthday of the very first rent assessment committee.
The first rent assessment committee was held in London on 29 March 1966 and, five decades on, the work formerly carried out by such committees forms part of the jurisdiction of tribunals in the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).
Marking the recent anniversary, Siobhan McGrath, president of the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), said: “The first case related to an application for registration of a fair rent in respect of a flat in Holland Park. The passing rent was £475 per annum. The tenant proposed a figure of £275 and the rent officer determined a rent of £400, to which both parties objected. Fifty years on, disputes about the level of fair rents continue, albeit that the figures are a little higher.
“Although rent assessment committees are now called tribunals as part of the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), little else has changed. The tribunals still comprise two or three members who consider the same section 70 criteria, go along to inspect the property and aspire to provide local justice.
“The Property Chamber as a whole though, has a much wider remit in resolving housing, property and landlord and tenant disputes.”
It deals with cases about leasehold management (such as challenges to service charges), enfranchisement, land registration, agricultural land and drainage, appeals under the Housing Act 2004 and rents under the Housing Act 1988, and altogether there are about 150 different jurisdictions. The demanding work is carried out by judges, surveyors, environmental health officers and lay members supported by experienced administrative officers.
McGrath added: “The enduring fascination of the work lies in the stories behind the cases. Property disputes are about people and the tensions that rival interests can bring are themselves a challenge. Ultimately the opportunity to bring a resolution in what may appear to be intractable problems makes working with the tribunals a reward in itself. Here’s to another 50 years deciding rents and happy birthday to us!”
