First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber)
In Scotland, the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) is the body that decides almost every dispute between a private landlord and tenant, including eviction applications for private residential tenancies, which in England go to the county court. It has heard private rented sector cases since 1 December 2017, when the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016 moved them out of the sheriff court, and it sits within the Scottish Tribunals structure at the Glasgow Tribunals Centre. It is a separate body from the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) in England, with different rules, forms and jurisdiction.
What it decides
For a Scottish private landlord the tribunal is the forum for: eviction orders on any of the 18 grounds following a notice to leave, and for assured and short assured tenancies that pre-date December 2017; civil claims for rent arrears and other sums due under a tenancy, which in England would be a money claim; appeals from a rent officer's decision on a rent increase; tenants' applications where a deposit was not lodged within 30 working days, with awards of up to three times the deposit; applications by tenants to enforce the Repairing Standard, with the power to make repairing standard enforcement orders and rent relief orders; wrongful termination orders; and complaints under the Letting Agent Code of Practice. From 6 October 2026 it also applies Awaab's Law timescales for damp and mould through the Repairing Standard.
How it works
Applications are free. The tribunal issues a notice of acceptance, notifies the other party, and lists a case management discussion, usually by video, at which it can decide the case if the facts are not disputed; otherwise it sets a hearing. Because all eviction grounds are discretionary, it must be satisfied that eviction is reasonable, not merely that the ground exists. Its orders are enforced by sheriff officers. Decisions are published on its website with the parties' names, and an appeal lies to the Upper Tribunal for Scotland on a point of law only, with permission and within 30 days. The application process, timescales and the evidence expected for each ground are set out in our guide to eviction in Scotland.
Related terms
The tribunal sits at the end of every Scottish tenancy process: registration failures, the rent increase referral, the notice to leave, the deposit rules and the Repairing Standard all resolve here. Each of those duties is set out in our Scottish landlord guide. A landlord who lets in both nations deals with two tribunals with the same name and different jurisdictions; the English one hears rent and service charge disputes but not possession claims.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a fee to apply to the Housing and Property Chamber?
No. Unlike the county court in England, the Scottish tribunal charges no application fee for eviction, arrears or deposit cases.
How long does a tribunal eviction take in Scotland?
Commonly four to eight months from serving the notice to leave to recovering possession in an uncontested case, longer where the tenant disputes the ground or the tribunal's list is busy. The notice period itself is 28 or 84 days.
Can a landlord recover rent arrears through the tribunal?
Yes. A civil proceedings application for a payment order can be made alongside or separately from an eviction application, and the tribunal expects a dated rent statement. August's rent tracking produces one per tenancy.
