UK consumer ADR rules start on 6 April 2026: key dates

From 6 April 2026, the way consumer disputes are handled outside court changes in the UK. The Government has made Statutory Instrument 2026 No. 284 to start the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024’s consumer dispute chapter. Signed by Kate Dearden, Parliamentary Under‑Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade, on 11 March 2026, it sets the timetable published on legislation.gov.uk.

What is ADR? It stands for alternative dispute resolution. It lets you and a business ask an independent body to look at a consumer contract problem without going to court. Think of an ombuds service or a structured mediation or adjudication scheme that can settle refund, repair or service complaints more quickly than litigation.

What actually switches on 6 April? Chapter 4 of Part 4 of the DMCC Act begins. This creates a formal system for consumer ADR in the UK. Three linked schedules also start: Schedule 25 names ADR providers that are exempt from accreditation, Schedule 26 sets the accreditation criteria, and Schedule 27 makes the consequential legal updates around the new regime. These details are set out in the statutory text on legislation.gov.uk.

Under the new system, most organisations that handle consumer ADR will need to be accredited unless they are listed as exempt. The standards they must meet are set in Schedule 26. If you run a scheme, this is the point to check whether you must apply; if you’re a consumer, you’ll start to see providers describing their accreditation status more clearly.

A key question is fees. Can you be charged to use ADR during the changeover? Yes-where a case starts in the ‘relevant period’ the usual ban on consumer fees in section 294 does not apply. That means a provider may charge you if your dispute is first referred to them between 6 April and 5 October 2026, or until an earlier date if their accreditation application is decided sooner. Always ask for the fee schedule before you proceed.

When is a case treated as having started? For standard ADR, it is when the consumer dispute is first referred to the ADR provider under that provider’s rules or procedures. For special ADR arrangements, it is when the dispute is first referred either to the person who set up the arrangement or to the person carrying out the ADR, whichever happens first. This language is lifted directly from the regulations on legislation.gov.uk so the date you make that first referral matters.

How long does the window last? The relevant period opens on 6 April 2026 and ends on 5 October 2026. If a provider applies for accreditation before 5 October, the window closes for that provider on the day the application is granted, refused or withdrawn. Cases that began within the window keep the benefit of these transitional rules even after the window closes.

There is also a rule about who is allowed to act as an ADR provider. Ordinarily, section 293 bars unauthorised providers from carrying out ADR. During the same window, that bar does not apply to cases that started in the period, so providers can continue with those disputes while their status is resolved. New cases after the window require the provider to be accredited or exempt.

Special ADR arrangements-such as a scheme set up by a trade body or platform with a specific provider-are treated similarly. For disputes that start in the window, the ban on charging consumers in section 294(3) does not apply, and sections 293(2) and 310(5) will not be used to stop those arrangements from continuing for those cases. The aim is to prevent people being stranded mid‑complaint as the new system comes online.

Keep these dates in your notes. The regulations were made on 11 March 2026. The new ADR chapter and Schedules 25–27 commence on 6 April 2026. The transitional ‘relevant period’ runs from 6 April to 5 October 2026, or ends earlier for a given provider if their accreditation application is decided. If you’re a consumer, save proof of when you first referred your case. If you’re a business, confirm whether you are exempt or accredited and be upfront with customers about any fees during the window.