ARBITRATIONS
 

The Lands Tribunal & Compensation Act (NI) 1964 (1964 C. 29) provides for the Tribunal to act as an arbitrator under a reference by consent relating to any matter affecting the value or the use or development of any land.
 

NOTE however that some cases may require reference to other legislation. The updated Statutes of Northern Ireland are available at the UK Statute Law Database.
 

The first step is to complete one of two types of application form.  If you wish to refer a rent review to the Tribunal complete a Rent Review Application.  For other disputes complete a Other Statutory Provisions (Form F) and send to the Registrar together with the appropriate fee (see the Rules).
 

Where the issue is not a rent review, the case will be listed for Mention straight away.  A mention is an informal meeting to make detailed directions for the preparation and Hearing of the case.
 

Otherwise, once a case is registered, the Registrar will send out a Draft Timetable and Directions which sets out a standard draft procedure for dealing with the ordinary case, step by step.  The aims of this timetable and these directions are

• to encourage cases, involving expert evidence, to proceed at proportionate speed,
• to crystallise issues, and
• to encourage a "cards face up on the table" approach.
   

The case will then be listed for mention before the Tribunal.
 

Usually sometime after the hearing, the Tribunal will give its decision with reasons in writing.  NOTE however that such arbitrations are treated as private and the decisions of the Tribunal are not published.  An index of previous decisions, in other cases, is set out in the Table of Cases together with links to downloadable copies.