A short video has been produced by the Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL) to inform landlords about the private residential tenancy agreement set to come into force in December.

The changes to the private sector tenancy will apply to all new tenancies beginning on or after 1 December 2017. The aim of these changes is to make tenancy agreements more flexible, easier to understand by both landlords and tenants and, providing increased clarity and security for both sides.

Releasing the short video, SAL said: “If you’re a landlord in Scotland, you need to be aware of a significant change that’s being made to the law. From 01 December 2017, all new tenancies in Scotland will last until a tenant wishes to leave the property or a landlord uses one of 18 grounds for eviction. For tenants, this means improved security, stability and predictability. Whilst landlords, lenders and investors will benefit from new safeguards.

“Any disputes over tenancies will be heard by the Housing and Property Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland. If you already rent a property out, the change won’t affect you until the current tenancy agreement comes to an end. And don’t forget, anyone renting out a property in Scotland needs be registered with the council. Failing to do this is a criminal offence.

“To help landlords and tenants, the government has produced a Model Tenancy Agreement which will include standardised tenancy terms. Visit the Scottish Government website to download the model agreement and find out more about the Private Residential Tenancy.”