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Renting and your rights during coronavirus if you have a social landlord

Last updated
5 Jul 2022

Protection for tenants

The Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 is an emergency law to protect renters in Scotland during coronavirus.

The law protects tenants from eviction, where a landlord issues a notice on or after 7 April 2020.

Before a landlord can start legal proceedings to evict, they must give the tenant notice. In most cases, the temporary law means landlords must give you at least 6 months' notice to end a tenancy.

For some cases it is 28 days. Those cases must use one of these reasons:

  • you have a relevant criminal conviction
  • you have engaged in relevant antisocial behaviour
  • someone that you chose to spend time with in the rented property has a relevant criminal conviction or has engaged in relevant antisocial behaviour
  • you are no longer living at the rented property

This law ended on 31 March 2022 and is not being extended.

If you're unable to pay your rent

If you are able to pay rent as normal you must continue to do so. If you are unable to pay the full amount, you should pay as much of your rent as you can.

Your local council may be able to help if you're in arrears or at risk of eviction.

Visit Aberdeen City CouncilVisit Aberdeenshire CouncilVisit Angus CouncilVisit Argyll and Bute CouncilVisit Clackmannanshire CouncilVisit Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council)Visit Dumfries & Galloway CouncilVisit Dundee City CouncilVisit East Ayrshire CouncilVisit East Dunbartonshire CouncilVisit East Lothian CouncilVisit East Renfrewshire CouncilVisit Edinburgh CouncilVisit Falkirk CouncilVisit Fife CouncilVisit Glasgow City CouncilVisit Highland CouncilVisit Inverclyde CouncilVisit Midlothian CouncilVisit Moray CouncilVisit North Ayrshire CouncilVisit North Lanarkshire CouncilVisit Orkney Islands CouncilVisit Perth & Kinross CouncilVisit Renfrewshire CouncilVisit Scottish Borders CouncilVisit Shetland CouncilVisit South Ayrshire CouncilVisit South Lanarkshire CouncilVisit Stirling CouncilVisit West Dunbartonshire CouncilVisit West Lothian Council

You may also be able to get financial support, such as:

Citizen's Advice Scotland has information and advice if you are experiencing financial difficulties because of coronavirus.

The Scottish Government has also called on all social sector landlords (councils, housing associations and housing co-ops) not to evict a tenant because they have suffered financial hardship. We expect landlords to be flexible with tenants facing financial hardship and signpost them to the sources of financial support available.

If you think that you may still have problems paying your rent even with these sources of support, you should speak to your landlord about this as soon as possible.

If your landlord issues you with a 'Notice of Recovery of Possession', it's important to know your rights.

Most tenants in social rented housing have a Scottish secure tenancy agreement.

Find out your rights if you have a Scottish secure tenancy agreement and your landlord has told you they are going to take action to evict you.

Some tenants have a short Scottish secure tenancy agreement.

Find out your rights if you have a short Scottish secure tenancy agreement and your landlord has told you they are going to take action to evict you.

You may wish to get help and advice if your landlord is trying to evict you.

 

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