The Shelter Scottish Housing Law Service helps people access justice by providing specialist and expert advice and representation on housing law.
Our core values
Access to justice
Our aim is to ensure everyone facing homelessness or housing difficulties in Scotland understands their legal rights.
Human rights based approach
We strive to tackle poverty in housing and empower people to exercise their rights. We're dedicated to improving housing conditions, both on a strategic level and through litigation in individual cases.
Empowerment through knowledge sharing
Our solicitors work alongside our advisers, providing them with legal support to help their clients. We also provide legal counsel to our policy team in the drafting of legislation, and deliver training to housing professionals.
Our team
Our team of 8 solicitors and 2 lay representatives is based in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee.
We provide free legal advice and representation to help people with housing issues across Scotland. Our solicitors provide advice and attend court to help people keep their homes, access housing and improve their housing conditions.
We cover the following areas of law:
evictions
mortgage repossessions
homelessness
dampness and disrepair
unlawful evictions
abandonments
Our initiatives
Housing Law and Debt Advice Project
Funded by the Scottish Legal Aid Board, the project aims to help people facing eviction and repossession in Tayside, Central Scotland (Stirling, Falkirk and Clackmannan) and the Borders.
Representation is provided to clients facing heritable court eviction and mortgage repossession actions. We also support people who are homeless and have not been able to obtain appropriate alternative accommodation to access local advice, assistance and representation.
Humanitarian Initiative
Humanitarian Initiative is a joint initiative between the legal and third sector. It's a free, confidential legal advice service offered by experienced housing and immigration lawyers, at Scottish Refugee Council’s office in Glasgow City Centre. .
This initiative is delivered by Scottish Refugee Council, Shelter Scotland, JustRight Scotland, Legal Services Agency, Latta & Co Solicitors and Govan Law Centre. They are supported by our third sector partner organisations: Govan Community Project, Scottish Refugee Council and ASH Project.
The legal surgery runs only by appointment. Interpreters can be requested.
Contact the SRC advice line on 0808 1967 274 to make a referral.
Strategic litigation
Litigation means taking cases to court. Strategic litigation is a method that can bring about significant changes in the law, practice or public awareness via taking carefully-selected cases to court. The clients involved in strategic litigation have been victims (of wrongs) that are suffered by many other people. In this way, strategic litigation focuses on an individual case in order to bring about social change.
A typical feature of strategic litigation is that cases are brought by individuals to test a legal point that also applies to cases other than just their own. Strategic litigation is sometimes referred to as 'impact' or 'test case' litigation.
The aims of strategic litigation involve more than simply winning legal arguments in court: test case strategies might seek to create awareness and publicise the cause for which the strategy is mobilised. They can also encourage public debate, set important precedents, achieve change for people in similar situations, and spark policy changes.
The Shelter Scottish Housing Law Service might consider using strategic litigation where we want to:
enforce the law
clarify the meaning of the law
challenge the law
create new law
Contacting our service
Our law service is reached by referral, through our housing advisors on the helpline or one of our referral partners.
For more information about your legal rights, see our housing advice.
AUTHORISATION The Shelter Scottish Housing Law Service is the trading name of Shelter Scotland Solicitors and has its registered office at Scotiabank House, 6 South Charlotte Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4AW and is regulated with Law Society of Scotland. Our lawyers are subject to the rules and guidance of the Law Society of Scotland.