Tenant eviction in Scotland FAQs

The type of procedure will depend on the type of tenant. On 1 December 2017, the law covering residential tenancies in Scotland changed. A new type of tenancy called a private residential tenancy was introduced, replacing assured and short assured tenancies. Any tenancy started on or after 1 December 2017 is a private residential tenancy.

If you have an assured or short assured tenant whose tenancy began before 1 December 2017, they’ll not be covered by the new rules. Instead, you should follow the appropriate eviction procedure for assured or short assured tenancies.

Landlords can only evict tenants by using one of the 18 grounds for eviction. You must give the tenant a written notice called a notice to leave. This notice must provide the date on which the tenant must move out and the eviction ground that applies.

The amount of notice depends on how long the tenant has lived in the property and the reason for the eviction. If they’ve been in the property for under six months, landlords must give 28 days’ notice, regardless of the eviction ground. If the tenant has lived there for over six months and you’re not using a conduct ground for eviction (regarding the tenant’s behaviour), you must provide 84 days’ notice. If they’ve lived there for over six months and you’re relying on a conduct ground, it’s 28 days’ notice.

If a tenant hasn't moved out by the end of the notice period, landlords can apply to the First-Tier Tribunal for an eviction notice. The application to the tribunal must include a copy of the notice to leave, and you must also send a section 11 notice to the local authority informing it that you plan to evict your tenant.

You must serve the tenant a notice to quit and a notice of proceedings, and send a section 11 notice to the local council. The length of notice depends on the terms of the lease and the length of the tenancy but must be at least 28 days. Landlords must then apply to the First-Tier Tribunal for an eviction order.

If the tenancy is for a fixed period and you want to evict the tenant before this ends, you can only do so if the tenant has seriously broken a condition of the tenancy agreement.

Landlords who want their tenants to move out at the end of the tenancy agreement need to give them a notice to quit and two months’ notice, known as a section 33 notice.