diff --git a/synapse/api/errors.py b/synapse/api/errors.py
index bee59e80ddfc..a9ff5576f3b0 100644
--- a/synapse/api/errors.py
+++ b/synapse/api/errors.py
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 import logging
 
 import simplejson as json
+from six import iteritems
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -297,7 +298,7 @@ def cs_error(msg, code=Codes.UNKNOWN, **kwargs):
         A dict representing the error response JSON.
     """
     err = {"error": msg, "errcode": code}
-    for key, value in kwargs.iteritems():
+    for key, value in iteritems(kwargs):
         err[key] = value
     return err
 
diff --git a/synapse/app/synchrotron.py b/synapse/app/synchrotron.py
index 508b66613d86..2fddcd935a88 100644
--- a/synapse/app/synchrotron.py
+++ b/synapse/app/synchrotron.py
@@ -58,6 +58,8 @@
 from twisted.internet import defer, reactor
 from twisted.web.resource import NoResource
 
+from six import iteritems
+
 logger = logging.getLogger("synapse.app.synchrotron")
 
 
@@ -211,7 +213,7 @@ def process_replication_rows(self, token, rows):
 
     def get_currently_syncing_users(self):
         return [
-            user_id for user_id, count in self.user_to_num_current_syncs.iteritems()
+            user_id for user_id, count in iteritems(self.user_to_num_current_syncs)
             if count > 0
         ]
 
diff --git a/synapse/federation/federation_server.py b/synapse/federation/federation_server.py
index e4ce037acfe6..2dadf7deab04 100644
--- a/synapse/federation/federation_server.py
+++ b/synapse/federation/federation_server.py
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@
 from synapse.util.logcontext import make_deferred_yieldable, preserve_fn
 from synapse.util.logutils import log_function
 
+from six import iteritems
+
 # when processing incoming transactions, we try to handle multiple rooms in
 # parallel, up to this limit.
 TRANSACTION_CONCURRENCY_LIMIT = 10
@@ -425,9 +427,9 @@ def on_claim_client_keys(self, origin, content):
             "Claimed one-time-keys: %s",
             ",".join((
                 "%s for %s:%s" % (key_id, user_id, device_id)
-                for user_id, user_keys in json_result.iteritems()
-                for device_id, device_keys in user_keys.iteritems()
-                for key_id, _ in device_keys.iteritems()
+                for user_id, user_keys in iteritems(json_result)
+                for device_id, device_keys in iteritems(user_keys)
+                for key_id, _ in iteritems(device_keys)
             )),
         )
 
diff --git a/synapse/federation/send_queue.py b/synapse/federation/send_queue.py
index 93e5acebc19c..0f0c687b3786 100644
--- a/synapse/federation/send_queue.py
+++ b/synapse/federation/send_queue.py
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@
 
 import logging
 
+from six import itervalues, iteritems
+
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
@@ -122,7 +124,7 @@ def _clear_queue_before_pos(self, position_to_delete):
 
             user_ids = set(
                 user_id
-                for uids in self.presence_changed.itervalues()
+                for uids in itervalues(self.presence_changed)
                 for user_id in uids
             )
 
@@ -276,7 +278,7 @@ def get_replication_rows(self, from_token, to_token, limit, federation_ack=None)
         # stream position.
         keyed_edus = {self.keyed_edu_changed[k]: k for k in keys[i:j]}
 
-        for ((destination, edu_key), pos) in keyed_edus.iteritems():
+        for ((destination, edu_key), pos) in iteritems(keyed_edus):
             rows.append((pos, KeyedEduRow(
                 key=edu_key,
                 edu=self.keyed_edu[(destination, edu_key)],
@@ -309,7 +311,7 @@ def get_replication_rows(self, from_token, to_token, limit, federation_ack=None)
         j = keys.bisect_right(to_token) + 1
         device_messages = {self.device_messages[k]: k for k in keys[i:j]}
 
-        for (destination, pos) in device_messages.iteritems():
+        for (destination, pos) in iteritems(device_messages):
             rows.append((pos, DeviceRow(
                 destination=destination,
             )))
@@ -528,19 +530,19 @@ def process_rows_for_federation(transaction_queue, rows):
     if buff.presence:
         transaction_queue.send_presence(buff.presence)
 
-    for destination, edu_map in buff.keyed_edus.iteritems():
+    for destination, edu_map in iteritems(buff.keyed_edus):
         for key, edu in edu_map.items():
             transaction_queue.send_edu(
                 edu.destination, edu.edu_type, edu.content, key=key,
             )
 
-    for destination, edu_list in buff.edus.iteritems():
+    for destination, edu_list in iteritems(buff.edus):
         for edu in edu_list:
             transaction_queue.send_edu(
                 edu.destination, edu.edu_type, edu.content, key=None,
             )
 
-    for destination, failure_list in buff.failures.iteritems():
+    for destination, failure_list in iteritems(buff.failures):
         for failure in failure_list:
             transaction_queue.send_failure(destination, failure)