The timetable for the Dispute Resolution Service is as follows:

ACTION	DAY
We receive a full and compliant copy of the complaint	Day One
We send the complaint to Registrant within	Three working days
Registrant must reply within	Fifteen working days
We forward the response to Complainant within OR (if there was no response) send an invitation to pay the fees.	Three working days
(If there was a Response) Complainant has right to submit reply within	Five working days
(If there was a Response) Our trained mediator initiates mediation within	Three working days
(If there was a Response) Mediation starts and may last for up to	Ten working days
(If mediation has not settled the dispute) Complainant may then pay the fee within	Ten working days
We appoint an expert upon receipt of fees within	Five working days
Case file is forwarded to expert immediately who must make a decision within	Ten working days
Decision confirmed to all parties within	Five working days
(Unless there is an appeal/court action) decision is implemented in	Ten working days
The vast majority of DRS cases end at this point. Appeals or court action occur in less than 0.5% of cases.
(If there is a "Notice of Intention to Appeal") the person appealing must send the appeal notice within	Fifteen working days
(If there is an appeal notice) we pass it to the other side within	Three working days
The other party has to make an appeal notice response within	Ten working days
We will pass the appeal notice response to the appellant within	Three working days
... and appoint an appeal panel	As soon as we can
The appeal panel should make their decision within	Thirty days (not working days)
We communicate the decision to the parties within	Three working days
The appeal decision is implemented within	Ten working days

A flowchart of the Dispute Resolution Service process is also available as is an overview of how it works.

There are a number of factors that make a big difference to how long a DRS dispute will take:

Is there a response? Response cases tend to take a couple of weeks longer than no-response cases, because no-response cases either end when the fees are due or go straight to a decision. If there is a response, there may be a reply and mediation.

Is the meditation successful? A successful mediation can end a dispute quickly and we cannot tell in advance when the mediation will succeed. Mediation is a powerful tool and it is often surprising who settles and at what speed, so this is hard to predict.

Is there an appeal? Having an appeal adds a few weeks to the process, but they are rare.

Can I speed the process up?
The main thing you can do to speed the process is to do everything you need to do quickly. If there is time for you to do something (for example, make a reply) and you do not want to make one, you can email us to tell us that, so we can move the dispute on to the next stage.