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Overview

If you want to rent a home privately, there are steps you should follow when you move in and move out.

Before you agree to anything, make sure your landlord is registered with the local authority for the area where the let property is located. You can check this using the Landlord Registration Scotland website. If your landlord isn't registered, they're renting the property out illegally.

If you follow the right process when starting your tenancy, it could mean fewer problems when it's time to end the tenancy.

Before you move into the property, you may need to sign a tenancy agreement.

If you have a private residential tenancy (a tenancy that started after 1 December 2017), your landlord must also give you either the 'Easy Read Notes for the Scottish Government Model Tenancy Agreement', or the 'Private Residential Tenancy Statutory Terms Supporting Notes'.

A landlord may have a letting agent handling the tenancy for them. If they do, the letting agent may be your main point of contact right through your entire tenancy.

All letting agents in Scotland have to be registered and follow a Code of Practice. Find out more about letting agent regulations.

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