The Scottish Government landlord hub provides the agreement and statutory information routes. Older assured or short assured tenancies, resident landlords and other exclusions need a separate classification before notices or rent changes are considered.
Confirm the tenancy type
Do not assume every Scottish letting uses the same ending and rent rules. Establish whether the arrangement is a private residential tenancy or an older or excluded tenancy.
- Record when the tenancy began, whether the property is the tenant's main home and whether an exception applies. Retain the original documents for older tenancies.
- Use the current Scottish model and the required accompanying notes for the arrangement. Check all names, the address, rent and communication details.
- A private residential tenancy is open-ended. Do not rely on a fixed end date or an English notice template to recover possession.
Complete the start-of-tenancy checks
Prepare the home and the records before the tenant takes occupation.
- Verify landlord registration and any HMO licence, the Repairing Standard evidence and the inventory. Record defects that still need attention and resolve safety problems.
- Handle the deposit through an approved Scottish scheme within the Scottish working-day deadline. Do not substitute a 30-calendar-day reminder from another country.
- Explain repairs, emergency contacts, access and payments in practical terms. Give each joint tenant the relevant documents and keep delivery evidence.
Keep the agreement and management record current
Later changes should be documented without obscuring what was originally agreed.
- Deal with a proposed new occupier, a departing joint tenant or a transfer through the correct process. A returned key alone does not settle everyone's rights.
- Use the prescribed rent-increase procedure and current notice period. Check current commencement information before applying a future Scottish reform.
- For possession, use the correct Notice to Leave and tribunal route, including pre-action requirements where arrears are involved. A landlord's notice is not itself an eviction order.
Example: one joint tenant wants to move
A fictional joint tenant asks to leave while the other wants to stay. Record the request, check the current Scottish joint-tenancy rules and agree any lawful replacement arrangement in writing. Do not simply delete a name from the original signed agreement.
What to do
- Record the start date, occupation arrangement and any older agreement.
- Use the current Scottish model and supporting notes where appropriate.
- Give the tenant the required information and record delivery.
Evidence to keep
- Agreement, supporting notes and versions
- Start-date and service evidence
Sources and guidance
- Being a private landlordScottish Government · checked 20 October 2026