Do you know how to ensure your property is being maintained properly? The Letlaw team recently received a query from a landlord who suspected their tenant was hoarding items within the property. Although the tenant had always paid their rent, they had denied the landlord access to carry out inspections, over a long period of time . The landlord asked: should they insist on gaining access to the property given the rent is always paid on time, to allay their concerns, but risk 'rocking the
A Short Assured Tenancy Agreement in Scotland is the most commonly used type of tenancy in the private rented sector. The following outlines the basics of a short assured tenancy agreement for both landlords and tenants in Scotland.
What is a Short Assured Tenancy (SAT)?
A special type of 'Assured Tenancy' which lasts for a minimum period of 6 months.
Why use a Short Assured Tenancy Agreement in Scotland?
In Scotland, landlords often favour SATs because they can recover possession of the property at the
The question of whether pre-tenancy charges imposed on tenants by landlords/agents under a short assured tenancy are legal is a long-running debate within the private rented sector.
Many landlords/agents charge a variety of fees to a tenant prior to sign-up, including administration charge, 'holding deposit' and 'referencing fee'. We've even heard of agents charging fees to prospective tenants for cleaning the property after they have left, when they've not even moved in yet!
Section 82 of the 1984 Act states that ?any person who, as
As a private landlord, you really need to be on the ball to avoid the pitfalls of Scottish tenancy law. One of the biggest danger areas involves the perils of picking the wrong date. This can occur in a number of circumstances. So how do you get the notice to quit date right?
The Short Assured Tenancy Agreement Scotland
Are you ready for the Private Rented Housing Scotland Act 2011? The Scottish Parliament doesn't like to make life easy for us by just bringing a whole Act into force at the same time. Instead, they like to test a lawyer's ability to keep up to speed, by bringing certain parts into force in dribs and drabs. As a landlord, are you ready for the Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Act 2011?
On 31 August the following provisions will come into force:
As a landlord, how do you ensure a tenant pays their rent?
Well, in a nutshell, you can't! But you can try to protect yourself by taking some basic steps before you hand over the keys to the property.
Credit checks
What is your prospective tenant's financial position? Have they got multiple debts to other creditors? Are there any payment decrees granted against them in court? If so, alarm bells should ring and you should think twice about handing over those keys!
Referencing
Obtain references
