Housing Act 2004

Residential property tribunals

229 Residential property tribunals

(1) Any jurisdiction conferred on a residential property tribunal by or under any enactment is exercisable by a rent assessment committee constituted in accordance with Schedule 10 to the Rent Act 1977 (c. 42).

(2) When so constituted for exercising any such jurisdiction a rent assessment committee is known as a residential property tribunal.

(3) The appropriate national authority may by order make provision for and in connection with conferring on residential property tribunals, in relation to such matters as are specified in the order, such jurisdiction as is so specified.

(4) An order under subsection (3) may modify an enactment (including this Act).

(5) In this section “enactment” includes an enactment comprised in subordinate legislation (within the meaning of the Interpretation Act 1978 (c. 30)).

230 Powers and procedure of residential property tribunals

(1) A residential property tribunal exercising any jurisdiction by virtue of any enactment has, in addition to any specific powers exercisable by it in exercising that jurisdiction, the general power mentioned in subsection (2).

(2) The tribunal’s general power is a power by order to give such directions as the tribunal considers necessary or desirable for securing the just, expeditious and economical disposal of the proceedings or any issue raised in or in connection with them.

(3) In deciding whether to give directions under its general power a tribunal must have regard to—

(a) the matters falling to be determined in the proceedings,

(b) any other circumstances appearing to the tribunal to be relevant, and

(c) the provisions of the enactment by virtue of which it is exercising jurisdiction and of any other enactment appearing to it to be relevant.

(4) A tribunal may give directions under its general power whether or not they were originally sought by a party to the proceedings.

(5) When exercising jurisdiction under this Act, the directions which may be given by a tribunal under its general power include (where appropriate)—

(a) directions requiring a licence to be granted under Part 2 or 3 of this Act;

(b) directions requiring any licence so granted to contain such terms as are specified in the directions;

(c) directions requiring any order made under Part 4 of this Act to contain such terms as are so specified;

(d) directions that any building or part of a building so specified is to be treated as if an HMO declaration had been served in respect of it on such date as is so specified (without there being any right to appeal against it under section 255(9));

(e) directions requiring the payment of money by one party to the proceedings to another by way of compensation, damages or otherwise.

(6) Nothing in any enactment conferring specific powers on a residential property tribunal is to be regarded as affecting the operation of the preceding provisions of this section.

(7) Schedule 13 (residential property tribunals: procedure) has effect.

(8) Section 229(5) applies also for the purposes of this section and Schedule 13.

231 Appeals from residential property tribunals

(1) A party to proceedings before a residential property tribunal may appeal to the Lands Tribunal from a decision of the residential property tribunal.

(2) But the appeal may only be made—

(a) with the permission of the residential property tribunal or the Lands Tribunal, and

(b) within the time specified by rules under section 3(6) of the Lands Tribunal Act 1949 (c. 42).

(3) On the appeal—

(a) the Lands Tribunal may exercise any power which was available to the residential property tribunal, and

(b) a decision of the Lands Tribunal may be enforced in the same way as a decision of the residential property tribunal.

(4) Section 11(1) of the Tribunals and Inquiries Act 1992 (c. 53) (appeals from certain tribunals to High Court) does not apply to any decision of a residential property tribunal.

(5) For the purposes of section 3(4) of the Lands Tribunal Act 1949 (which enables a person aggrieved by a decision of the Lands Tribunal to appeal to the Court of Appeal) a residential property tribunal is not to be regarded as an aggrieved person.