Please note: Articles on this website were originally published by CourtKeys.com in 2015 and may now be out of date. Revised and updated content is included in Civil Litigation for Non-Lawyers [available here]. Disclaimer

On this page:

  • Attending a Tenancy Tribunal hearing
  • What to expect at a Tenancy Tribunal hearing
  • Checklist of what to bring to a Tenancy Tribunal hearing

If you are an applicant who has not received leave to appear by telephone, and if you do not attend the hearing in person, then you run the risk of your claim being dismissed. Similarly, respondents run the risk of an order being made against them if they do not appear either in person or by telephone.

You should contact Tenancy Services as soon as possible if you are unable to attend a hearing. Tenancy Services may be able to assist you to have the hearing postponed for a time.

What to expect at a Tenancy Tribunal hearing

There are no judges in Tenancy Tribunal hearings. The person in charge is called a ‘Tenancy Adjudicator’. That person is carefully selected and trained to determine disputes within the jurisdiction of the Tenancy Tribunal. A ‘determination’ is a decision about the dispute or what should happen, like a judgment. See the part of this text about remedies in the Tenancy Tribunal for more about the kinds of determinations you might expect.

See the chapter on appearing in a court for more about how your Tenancy Tribunal hearing might play out and how you could go about presenting your case. However, keep in mind that a Tenancy Tribunal hearing is generally less formal than a court hearing or trial, and that a Tribunal referee may take on a more investigative role than you might expect of a judge.

Checklist of what to bring to a Tenancy Tribunal hearing

It may be appropriate for you to bring the following items with you to a hearing in the Tenancy Tribunal:

1. A copy of your application form.

2. Any synopsis of argument and bundle of documents you have prepared, as well as copies for the Tenancy Adjudicator and every other party if you have not already disclosed these.

3. Originals of the documents you are relying on as evidence (in addition to any copies or bundles of copied documents).

4. Any witnesses in support of your position.

5. Any small and easily transportable physical evidence that is not a document or a witness and may be helpful.

6. Any support person, lawyer or representative.

Note: This content was originally published by CourtKeys.com in 2015. Disclaimer