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Scottish government extends eviction notice period for private and social tenants under new Coronavirus Bill
Emergency legislation being introduced in Scotland in response to the coronavirus crisis will increase the eviction notice period, depending on the grounds used, to up to six months for private and social tenants.
Under the Coronavirus (Scotland) Bill, which is being debated in the Scottish parliament today, tenants in Scotland will be given six months’ notice prior to eviction if they are facing difficulties as a result of coronavirus – for example if the tenant is being evicted from their home due to rent arrears.
However, landlords in Scotland will still be able to evict tenants with three months’ notice if they are being evicted under other circumstances – if the tenant has engaged in anti-social behaviour, for example.
The Scottish courts have not announced a suspension on all possession hearings for the duration of the coronavirus crisis.
In 2017, the Scottish government announced a ban on ’no-fault’ evictions, meaning landlords must typically rely on one of 18 grounds in order to evict tenants.
However, Scottish renters who have tenancy agreements from before this date may still be subject to ’no-fault’ evictions.
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Commenting on the bill, Sally Thomas, chief executive of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA), said: “SFHA agrees with the Scottish government that evictions should be suspended for those experiencing financial hardship caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
“This is absolutely the right thing to do in order to support people who are struggling financially.
“We welcome the measures that are being put in place for evictions in relation to anti-social and criminal behaviour, as it is vital that housing associations can put the safety and well-being of those affected by such actions first and take appropriate steps to deal with this.
“Rental income is vital for social landlords. It allows them to provide support and services for tenants and to carry out essential repairs and maintenance work. These frontline services are needed to ensure the health, safety and well-being of tenants, and it is critical that they can continue during the coronavirus outbreak…
“We have alerted Scottish government to the likely need for financial support for housing associations and co-operatives that experience income loss due to a reduction in rent payments. This support is more important than ever as we all work together to minimise the impact of the crisis on the most vulnerable people in our communities, many of whom live in social housing.”
It comes a week after the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations wrote to the Scottish government asking it to commit to compensating social landlords for income lost as a result of coronavirus.
Updated at 10:28 on 01.04.29: This article was updated to make it clear that some Scottish tenants are still subject to no-fault evictions.
