Landlords' rights and responsibilities
This page provides an overview of the rights and responsibilities of being a landlord if you rent out property in Scotland.
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The Scottish Government has published advice for landlords and letting agents.
Landlord Certificates Glasgow registration
If you are thinking of letting your home, it is vital that you are aware of your legal rights and obligations. One of the first things you will need to do is register as a landlord in Glasgow with every local authority area that you let a house out in. You can find out more about landlord registration here.
When a property is advertised, landlords have to include their registration number in all adverts.
The Right to Rent
From 1 February 2015 landlords who have rental properties in England and Wales have to check that tenants or lodgers can legally rent their property.
These regulations only apply to properties in England and Wales, and do not apply to tenants or lodgers who rent property in Scotland.
Private residential tenancy
On 1 December 2017 a new type of tenancy came into force, called the private residential tenancy, it replaced assured and short assured tenancy agreements for all new tenancies.
If you were already renting out your property with an assured or short assured tenancy, on 1 December 2017, the tenancy will continue as normal until you or the tenant bring it to an end following the correct procedure. If you then offer the tenant a new tenancy this will be a private residential tenancy.
Repairs and maintenance
Landlords are generally responsible for the maintenance and major repairs to a property. This includes repairs to the structure and exterior of the property, heating and hot water installations, basins, sinks, baths and other sanitary installations. You need to be aware of how you should arrange access to the property - see Living in your accommodation for tenants' rights when landlords need access. You need to provide reasonable notice, at least 24 hours and get their permission.
Landlords have a duty to ensure that the houses they rent to tenants meet the repairing standard. If your property doesn't meet the repairing standard, The Housing and Property Chamber of the First Tier Tribunal can order you to carry out the necessary work. If you don't, you could face a financial penalty.
You must keep a record of any gas safety checks and, usually, you must issue it to the occupier within 28 days of each annual check. Gas appliances must carry safety certificates from qualified engineers who are on the Gas Safe Register. For more information on your responsibilities as a landlord the
By law, you must ensure that the electrical system and any electrical appliances supplied with the let, This is referred to as PAT Testing, such as cookers, kettles, toasters, washing machines and immersion heaters, are safe to use. If you are supplying new appliances, you should also provide any accompanying instruction booklets.You should also have a completed EICR Certificate if you are a landlord in Glasgow For more information on your responsibilities as a landlord, visit the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) website.
There are rules about smoke and heat alarms in privately rented properties, they need to be mains powered and interlinked. You'll need to make sure you have sufficient smoke and heat alarms. Check the Scottish Government guidance on fire safety. If you supply furniture or furnishings with the let, you must ensure that they meet the fire resistance requirements, sometimes known as the 'match test' in the Furniture and Furnishings Fire Safety Regulations 1988. There should be a symbol on your furniture to state that it is fire resistant, you can find out more and see examples of the labels here.
Landlord electrical Certificates Glasgow
House in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)
If you are planning to let your property out to three or more unrelated tenants, you must have a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licence. If you are not sure whether you need a licence for your property, you should contact your local authority for advice.
There are three main areas looked into when a property owner applies for an HMO licence: the suitability of an owner to be an HMO landlord, the management of the premises, and the physical condition and facilities of the accommodation. These things must be checked before a licence is granted.
The owner of a property must make the application for an HMO licence, even if the property is to be leased to or managed by another person or organisation. If someone other than you carries out the day-to-day management of the property (for example, a letting agent), they will be named on the licence as a joint licence holder.
Section 11 notices
If a landlord wants to evict a tenant via court then the landlord must tell the tenant's local council that they're planning on taking this course of action, this is called a section 11 notice.
The main function of a section 11 notice is to let the council know that an individual, or household, is at risk of becoming homeless. Once councils know about the court action they can try to intervene to see if the eviction can be halted, through mediation or other means. The notice also gives the council time to discuss alternative housing options with the tenant.
The section 11 duty does not interfere with the day-to-day management of a private rented properties. The normal process when a tenant leaves a property at the end date (sometimes called the ish date) of a tenancy is not complicated by the section 11 requirement. It is only when a landlord thinks that the only way that they are going to get the property back is via court action that these regulations have to be followed.
Energy performance certificates
If you're letting out a property to tenants, you must be able to produce a valid energy performance certificate free of charge to anyone interested in renting the property.
You also need to know the EPC rating of the property and include this rating in any advertising.
if you don't provide a Energy Performance Certificate or you fail to include the EPC rating in any advert for the property, then you may be liable to a fine of up to £1000.
A full list of organisations which can provide energy performance certificates is available from the Scottish Government.
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