Private Residential Tenancies – Need to know for Landlords

The Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016 which will take effect from 1 December 2017, will introduce a new ‘private residential tenancy’.

It’s purpose is to provide safeguards for landlords, lenders and investors and also improve security for tenants.

The tenancy will be open-ended and will last until your tenants wish to leave the let property or as a landlord use one (or more) of 18 grounds for eviction.

Improvements for landlords include:

• no more confusing pre-tenancy notices, such as the AT5
• where a tenant is in rent arrears, a landlord can refer a case for repossession more quickly
• a Scottish Government recommended ‘model tenancy agreement’, which will include standardised tenancy terms
• a digital version of the Scottish Government ‘model tenancy agreement’, which will include discretionary terms that can be edited, allowing landlords to easily put together and send out a tenancy agreement suitable for their specific property
• one simple notice when regaining possession of a property called a ‘notice to leave’ – this will replace the current ‘notice to quit’ and ‘notice of proceedings’
• eighteen modernised grounds for repossession, which include new grounds where the property has been abandoned or the landlord intends to sell

For further information visit https://beta.gov.scot/policies/private-renting/private-tenancy-reform/