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Procedure

Preparing a tribunal-ready hearing bundle — a step-by-step method

Practical guide to preparing a hearing bundle for the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) — structure, pagination, indexing, service and digital delivery.

8 minute readUpdated July 2026 All guides

A bad bundle loses cases. A good bundle wins them before you sit down. The Property Chamber does not have a single rigid Practice Direction on bundle format, but expects clear structure, consistent pagination, and delivery in accordance with the tribunal's directions.

Standard structure

  1. Front sheet: case reference, parties, hearing date, contents summary.
  2. Index with page numbers.
  3. Section A: Pleadings — application, response, directions, statements of case.
  4. Section B: Witness statements with exhibits following each.
  5. Section C: Expert reports if any.
  6. Section D: Contemporaneous documents (chronological).
  7. Section E: Correspondence (chronological).
  8. Section F: Legal authorities — statutes, regulations, cases (only those you will refer to).
  9. Section G: Scott Schedule / calculations.

Pagination and indexing

  • One continuous PDF pagination bottom-right.
  • Bookmarks matching the index in the PDF.
  • Cross-references in statements pointed to bundle pages, not to original disclosure numbers.

Practical rules

  • Colour-coded tabs in the printed copy.
  • Landscape for spreadsheets and Scott Schedules.
  • OCR text-searchable PDFs — the tribunal panel will search during reading.
  • File name convention: "Bundle - [Case ref] - [Applicant surname] - v1.0.pdf".

Service

Directions typically require delivery 28 days before hearing to the tribunal and other parties. Late bundles risk directions strikes and rule 13 unreasonable conduct arguments.

Common mistakes

  • Duplicate documents in different sections.
  • Statements referencing documents that are not in the bundle.
  • Correspondence dumped chronologically without redaction of privileged material.
  • Missing signed and dated witness statement statements of truth.

Related

  • [Scott Schedule template and worked example](/guides/scott-schedule-service-charge-dispute-template-and-worked-example)
  • [Tribunal witness statement guide](/guides/tribunal-witness-statement-guide-for-leaseholders)
  • Or auto-generate a first draft in our [Bundle Builder](/bundle-builder).

Frequently asked questions

How many bundle copies do I need?＋

Typically one for each tribunal member (2 or 3), one for each opposing party, and one for you. The tribunal accepts electronic bundles for reading but often keeps a hard copy on the bench.

Should I include unused disclosure?＋

Only relevant material. Overloading dilutes the strongest documents.

Can I use a joint bundle?＋

Yes — the tribunal prefers joint bundles. Split responsibility by section and agree indexing early.

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