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Coronavirus and your home (Scotland)

Help if you rent your home

The Housing and Property Chamber​ has rescheduled hearings that had previously been postponed due to coronavirus. If your case had been postponed, you will be notified when you should attend the Tribunal.

The temporary law which extended the notice period a landlord had to give to six months has now ended. However, if you received an eviction notice between 7 April 2020 and 29 March 2022 then the landlord has to stick to the six month notice period.

If a notice is served after 30 March 2022, the notice period will revert back to before the temporary law change. This is usually 28 days for rent arrears. More information can be found at Shelter Scotland.

All mandatory grounds for eviction have become discretionary. This means that the tribunal can decide not to evict you if they wish. If you are contacted by a sheriff officer who is threatening eviction, contact Shelter Scotland for help.

If you are a private tenant, new rules also came into force on 1 October 2020 which cover the process a landlord should follow if they are considering repossession action against you.

  • Your landlord should provide you with clear information about the terms of the tenancy, the amount of arrears and your rights in relation to the repossession proceedings.
  • Your landlord should try to agree a reasonable plan to with you. They should consider affordability, taking into account your personal and financial circumstances.
  • You should be allowed time to consider and seek advice on any proposed payment plan.
  • A full list of the pre-action requirements that your landlord now needs to follow can be found on the GOV.SCOT website.

To help with negotiations, SafeDeposits Scotland has a free resolution service. Either you or your landlord can approach them and their aim is to try to stop tenants being evicted.

The Scottish Government has produced a private rented sector (PRS) tenant resource which has detailed information on dealing with rent arrears during the coronavirus pandemic.

If your landlord is unhelpful and you need more support, contact Shelter Scotland​ on 0808 800 4444.

The Tenant Hardship Loan Fund

The Scottish Government fund offers interest-free loans to private and social sector tenants who are struggling to pay their rent because of the impact of coronavirus.

The fund can be used to cover up to a maximum of nine months of your rent costs. This can include:

  • rent arrears that have built up since 1 January 2020; and
  • up to three months future rent payments.

For more information and a link to the online application form, see GOV.SCOT.

Extra help from your council if you are at risk of eviction

Councils have been given extra funding to provide grants to tenants who have:

  • fallen behind on their rent because of the pandemic; and
  • are at risk of eviction.

The aim is to help you to reduce or pay off your rent arrears and to prevent homelessness. Grants may be available if you rent privately or through a social landlord, such as a local authority or housing association.

If you are at risk of eviction, contact your council directly to see if they are still accepting grant applications and for information about how to apply for this help.

Any grant payment is separate to the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments.

Discretionary Housing Payment

If you claim Housing Benefit or Universal Credit with help towards housing costs, you may be able to get a Discretionary Housing Payment. A Discretionary Housing Payment can give you extra money to pay towards your rent. To apply, contact your local council. Check whether you can claim online.

Help with your mortgage

The Government has introduced temporary rules. This means that while your mortgage lender can take you to court, no eviction action should be taken if you live in a Tier 3 or Tier 4 area until 30 September 2021.

FCA guidance

The FCA guidance, which may have meant you could apply for a payment holiday, ended on 31 July 2021.

If you are finding it difficult to afford your mortgage payments, contact your lender as soon as possible to discuss your situation. Ask your lender what forbearance options are available and how they will affect your credit file. Your lender should provide support that is tailored to your circumstances. For example, this may include an agreement:

  • to make reduced payments or no payments for a set period of time; or
  • to change the term of your mortgage.

If you previously had a payment holiday which has ended and you can afford to make your mortgage payments again, do so. You will also need to contact your lender to discuss how you are going to catch up with the missed payments.

The FCA has also said that while lenders can continue with repossession action, a firm should not enforce repossession of a property before 1 April 2021. This does not mean that your lender will take court action.

If you cannot afford to pay your mortgage or already have arrears, contact your lender as soon as possible to discuss your situation. If you are at risk of repossession and your lender is unhelpful, contact Shelter Scotland​ on 0808 800 4444. Information is also available on their website.