Your rent tribunal hearing is by video: how to join and prepare for a remote CVP hearing
More rent tribunal hearings now happen by video rather than in a hearing room, and the notice you get can be light on detail. This walkthrough explains how a remote First-tier Tribunal hearing works, how to join a CVP or Teams hearing, what to have ready on screen, how to ask for a reasonable adjustment or an in-person hearing, and what to do if your connection drops on the day. England only, Section 13 rent challenges.
You have applied to the First-tier Tribunal to challenge your Section 13 rent increase, the date has been set, and then you read the small print: the hearing is by video. For a lot of tenants that is the moment the nerves really start. A hearing room is intimidating enough; doing it down a webcam from your kitchen table, with the panel's faces in little boxes, feels like a different test altogether.
It is not. A remote hearing is the same hearing, with the same panel deciding the same question: what is the open market rent for your property. The only thing that changes is how you get into the room. This walkthrough is about getting that part right, so the technology fades into the background and you can concentrate on your evidence. It covers England only and assumes a Section 13 rent challenge before the Property Chamber.
Why your hearing is by video
After 2020, the courts and tribunals service moved a large share of hearings online, and for many straightforward property cases that has stuck. A rent challenge is often a good fit for a remote hearing: the evidence is documents and photographs, the panel does not need to inspect anything in the room, and a video format saves everyone a journey to a tribunal venue that might be an hour away.
The tribunal decides the format, not you and not the landlord. You will normally be told how your hearing will run in the directions order or in the separate notice of hearing. The three options you might see are:
- A video hearing held on a platform run by the courts and tribunals service. You join from home using a link.
- An in-person hearing at a tribunal venue, the traditional format.
- A paper determination, where there is no hearing at all and the panel decides on the written evidence. That is a separate route with its own pros and cons, and not what this post is about.
If your paperwork does not actually say which one you are getting, do not guess. Contact the tribunal office named on your notice and ask. Preparing for the wrong format wastes the limited time you have.
The joining link and the test call
A few days before the hearing, the tribunal sends joining instructions, usually by email. They contain the date and time, a link that takes you into the video hearing, and often a telephone number you can dial if the video fails. Read them the day they arrive, not the night before.
Two jobs to do in advance:
- Test the link works on your device. If the instructions offer a test call or a way to check your connection ahead of time, use it. If they do not, at least click the link once to confirm it opens the video platform and asks for your camera and microphone. You do not have to wait in the live hearing room, just check it loads.
- Check your camera, microphone and connection. Make a short video call to a friend on the same device, in the same spot, on the same wifi. If your picture freezes or your voice cuts out in a relaxed test call, it will do the same on the day, and that is the moment to sort it, not at 10am with the panel waiting.
If you genuinely cannot get the technology to work, that is a reason to ask for help or a different format, which we come to below. It is not a reason to stay silent and hope.
Setting up your space
You do not need a studio. You need to be seen, heard, and undisturbed.
- Pick a quiet, private room where nobody will walk in. If you share a home, tell the household you cannot be interrupted for the hearing window, and put a note on the door.
- Get the light in front of you, not behind you. A window behind you turns you into a silhouette. Face the light source where you can.
- Raise your camera to eye level if you can, by propping the laptop on a couple of books. It is more comfortable for the panel than looking up your nose.
- Silence everything. Phone on do not disturb, notifications off, other programs closed. A pop-up sound or a calendar alert in the middle of your point is exactly the distraction you do not want.
Dress as you would for an in-person hearing. It is a formal occasion even from your kitchen, and it helps you take it seriously too.
Having your evidence ready on a screen
This is where remote hearings catch people out. In a hearing room you have a paper bundle you can flick through. On video, you are talking, watching the panel, and trying to find a document all at once.
Get ahead of it:
- Have your evidence bundle open in a second window or printed beside you: your comparable rents, condition photos, the Section 13 notice, and your tribunal application.
- Know your page numbers. The panel will say "let us look at page 7", and you want to be there in a second, not scrabbling. If you submitted a paginated bundle, use the same pagination.
- Keep a one-page note of the three or four points you most want to land. Nerves make people forget their best argument; a glance at a sticky note brings it back.
- Pen and paper for jotting down what the panel or the landlord says, so you can respond to it when your turn comes.
If you plan to share your screen to show something, practise that once beforehand, because the share button is in a different place on every platform and fumbling for it eats your time.
Asking for an in-person hearing or an adjustment
A remote hearing has to be a fair hearing. If video would put you at a real disadvantage, you can ask the tribunal to do something about it, and you should ask early and in writing.
Reasons the tribunal will take seriously include:
- You do not have a reliable internet connection or a device that can run video.
- You do not have a private, quiet space to take the hearing from.
- A disability or health condition makes a video hearing difficult, for example a hearing or sight impairment, or anxiety that a screen makes worse.
- You need support from someone, or an interpreter, that is harder to arrange remotely.
You can ask for a different format altogether (an in-person hearing) or for a reasonable adjustment that keeps the video hearing but makes it work for you, such as extra breaks, documents in a larger font, or extra time. Put the request to the tribunal office as soon as you know the hearing is remote, set out your reasons plainly, and keep a copy. Asking is not held against you. The tribunal would far rather adjust the hearing than have you turn up unable to take part.
If something goes wrong on the day
Even with good preparation, technology occasionally lets you down. Have a plan so a glitch does not become a disaster.
- Join early. Click the link a few minutes before the start time. You will sit in a virtual waiting room until the panel admits you, and joining early gives you a buffer if the link is slow.
- If your video or sound drops mid-hearing, do not just vanish. Use the dial-in phone number from your joining instructions, or call the tribunal office, to tell them what has happened. The panel cannot fairly carry on without you and will usually pause.
- If you cannot get back in at all, contact the tribunal immediately by phone or email. A hearing that genuinely could not proceed because of a technical failure can be adjourned and relisted, rather than decided while you are locked out.
The thing to avoid is silence. A panel that does not know why you have disappeared is in a difficult position. A quick phone call turns a crisis into a pause.
Template: requesting an in-person hearing or an adjustment
Dear [Tribunal office],
Re: [your name], [property address], tribunal reference [number]
I am the applicant tenant in the above rent challenge. I understand the hearing listed for [date] is to be held by video.
I am writing to request [an in-person hearing / the following reasonable adjustments] because [set out your reasons plainly: for example, "I do not have a reliable internet connection at home", or "I have a hearing impairment that makes video hearings difficult and I would be assisted by [adjustment]"].
I would be grateful if the tribunal could consider this request as early as possible so that I can prepare for the correct format. Please let me know if you need any further information from me.
Yours faithfully, [Your name]
The bottom line
A video rent tribunal hearing sounds harder than it is. The panel, the question and your evidence are all exactly the same as they would be in a hearing room. What changes is logistics, and logistics are something you can control: test the link, set up a quiet space, have your bundle open with the page numbers to hand, and keep a phone backup in case the connection wobbles. If video genuinely will not work for you, ask the tribunal in good time for an in-person hearing or an adjustment, with your reasons. Sort the technology in advance and you free yourself to do the one thing that actually decides the case, which is making your evidence on the rent count.
If you are not sure your proposed rent is above the market rate, that is the part worth checking before the hearing date arrives. A clear comparison of what similar local properties are letting for is the evidence the panel weighs most heavily, and it is far better assembled calmly in advance than scrambled together the night before.
Frequently Asked Questions
+Will my rent tribunal hearing be in person or by video?
These days, many First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) hearings on a rent challenge are held remotely by video rather than in a hearing room. The tribunal decides the format and will tell you in the directions or the notice of hearing how yours will run. A video hearing is usually held on a video platform run by the courts and tribunals service, and you join from home using a link sent to you beforehand. Some cases are still heard in person, and a few are decided on the papers with no hearing at all. If your notice does not make the format clear, contact the tribunal office named on your paperwork and ask whether the hearing is by video, in person, or on the papers, so you can prepare for the right thing.
+How do I join a video tribunal hearing?
You join a video tribunal hearing using the joining link the tribunal sends you, usually by email, a few days before the hearing. Click the link at the time stated, and you will be placed in a virtual waiting room until the panel admits you. You can join from a laptop, desktop, tablet or phone, but a larger screen makes it far easier to read your documents while you talk. Test the link in advance if the tribunal offers a test call, check your camera and microphone work, and find a quiet, well-lit spot where you will not be interrupted. Have your papers either printed or open in a second window. Join a few minutes early so a last-minute technical hiccup does not make you late.
+Can I ask for an in-person hearing instead of video?
Yes, you can ask the tribunal to hold your hearing in person rather than by video, but you need to ask, and to explain why. Put the request in writing to the tribunal office as early as you can, ideally as soon as you know the hearing will be remote, and give your reasons. Good reasons include not having a reliable internet connection, not having a private space, a disability or health condition that makes video difficult, or needing support that is hard to provide remotely. The tribunal weighs your request against fairness and practicality and will tell you its decision. Asking does not count against you. The aim is a fair hearing, and if video would genuinely disadvantage you, say so clearly and in good time.
+What if my internet drops out during the hearing?
Connection problems happen and the tribunal is used to them. If your video or sound drops during the hearing, do not panic and do not just disappear. If you have a phone number for the hearing or the tribunal office, call it straight away to let them know. Many video hearings also have a dial-in telephone option, so keep any phone number from your joining instructions to hand as a backup. The panel will usually pause and wait for you to rejoin, because they cannot fairly carry on without you. If you cannot get back in at all, contact the tribunal office immediately by phone or email; a hearing that could not proceed because of a genuine technical failure can be adjourned and relisted rather than decided in your absence.
+What do I need to have ready for a remote rent tribunal hearing?
Have everything you would take into a hearing room, but organised so you can find it fast on screen. That means your comparable rent evidence, any photos of the property's condition, your Section 13 notice and your tribunal application, and a short note of the main points you want to make. If you submitted an evidence bundle, have the same bundle open and know the page numbers, because the panel will refer to pages and it slows everything down if you have to hunt. Keep a pen and paper next to you for notes, a glass of water, and the joining instructions and any phone backup number. Close other programs and silence notifications so nothing pops up while you are sharing your screen or speaking.
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