Private tenants - your rights and responsibilities

When you rent a home from a private landlord, it’s important to know what you can expect and what you need to do.

Your rights

As a private tenant you have the right to:

• know the terms of the tenancy
• know your landlord's name and address
• expect a decent standard of repair and maintenance
• proper notice if the landlord wants you to leave

Your responsibilities 

• the rent is paid on time
• the property is kept in the same condition it was in when it was first let (excluding general wear and tear)
• fittings, fixtures and furniture (where supplied) and other contents are not damaged by misuse or negligence

Landlord registration

All private landlords must be registered with us. Registration helps make sure landlords are suitable and protects tenants from poor practice.

You can find more details on our Landlord registration page.

Protection from illegal eviction and harassment

You are protected by law from illegal eviction and harassment under the Rent (Scotland) Act 1984.
It is a criminal offence for a landlord, agent or anyone else to:

• try to remove you without a court order
• threaten you or behave aggressively
• cut off services like water or electricity to force you to leave

The law on illegal eviction and harassment applies to almost all people living in rented housing. This means that you are protected by the law whether or not you have a written tenancy agreement.