Resolving a dispute as a private landlord
There are steps you can take to resolve a dispute with your tenant.
There are different rules for dealing with antisocial behaviour.
Talk to your tenant
Always try to talk to your tenant first to resolve a dispute.
If you take legal action later, you’ll need to show you tried to resolve things informally first.
Get independent dispute resolution
You can get help to resolve a dispute from an independent dispute specialist.
Check how mediation or arbitration can help resolve a dispute.
Tenancy deposit dispute resolution
At the end of the tenancy, you can resolve a deposit dispute through the tenancy deposit scheme. There’s no cost to use this dispute resolution process.
Check the rules for returning deposits at the end of a tenancy.
Taking legal action at a tribunal
You can take some disputes to a tribunal. It’s called the First-Tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber).
At a tribunal hearing, you can:
- represent yourself
- have someone go with you to support you or speak on your behalf
You can also get legal advice from a solicitor.
There’s no cost to apply to the tribunal.
Disputes the tribunal can help resolve
Check the rules and what the tribunal can do about:
Ending a tenancy due to a dispute
You can only end your tenant’s tenancy for certain reasons. You must follow rules to evict someone legally.
Check the rules for ending a tenancy.
If your tenant wants to end the tenancy, they must give you the correct amount of notice.