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24 April 2026
Issue: 8158 / Categories: Legal News , Civil way , Procedure & practice , Landlord&tenant , Leasehold , Family
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NLJ this week: Rent reforms unleash tribunal turmoil

A wave of housing and procedural reforms is set to test the limits of tribunal capacity. In his latest Civil Way column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold charts sweeping change as the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 begins biting

New forms, fees and tribunal powers risk clogging the system, with the Property Chamber already ‘condemned’ to heavy workloads. Fee hikes and phased implementation aim to manage ‘operational risk’, but delays loom.

Meanwhile, family procedure updates, longer enforcement notice periods and a key Court of Appeal ruling on service charges reshape practice. Leaseholders scored a major win where ‘safety’ wording failed to cover structural defects.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Jean-François Le Gal

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Jean-François Le Gal

Penningtons Manches Cooper strengthens international disputes team with appointment of leading arbitration partner

Shakespeare Martineau—Aaron Sanders & Kate Saunders

Shakespeare Martineau—Aaron Sanders & Kate Saunders

Shakespeare Martineau strengthens trust and estates disputes team with new appointments

Bellevue Law—Shannon Moore

Bellevue Law—Shannon Moore

Bellevue Law strengthens employment disputes and international advisory capability with senior associate appointment

NEWS
MPs cannot simply resign their Commons seats. Instead, they take a nominal Crown office, usually the Chiltern Hundreds or Manor of Northstead, which disqualifies them from sitting
When does a solicitor’s retainer become a contentious business agreement? The Court of Appeal’s decision in Broadfield Law UK LLP v Barnes shows that listing hourly rates alone will not do, leaving firms and clients uncertain about their rights over bills
More than 500 former rugby players can pursue brain injury claims despite serious failures to disclose documents ordered by the High Court
A divorced woman has secured funding to participate in her former husband’s inquest after the Legal Aid Agency reconsidered repeated refusals
The Thirlwall Inquiry has exposed a ‘complete failure’ to protect babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital, but its recommendations must now be put into practice
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