Landlord checklist for Scotland: whether you let one flat in Kilmarnock or a portfolio across Ayrshire and Glasgow, the legal duties are the same, and they have grown every year since 2017. This checklist sets out what a private landlord in Scotland must have in place before a tenant moves in, what has to be kept up during the tenancy, and what changed in 2026, with the official source for each item so you can check it yourself.

What does a landlord in Scotland legally need?

Before you let: the paperwork

1. Landlord registration. Every private landlord must be registered with the council where the property sits before it is advertised or let. As of October 2026 the Scottish Landlord Register charges a principal fee of £85 plus £20 per property, so one property costs £105 for three years, and letting unregistered is a criminal offence with a maximum fine of £50,000. Our guide to landlord registration in Scotland covers the fit and proper person test, the renewal dates and the “landlord registration pending” wording for adverts.
2. Consent and insurance. Tell your mortgage lender and switch to a buy-to-let product or obtain consent to let, check the title deeds and any factor’s rules allow letting, and arrange landlord buildings insurance, since a standard home policy is usually void once the property is let.
3. Energy Performance Certificate. You need a valid EPC before marketing and its rating must appear on adverts. There is no minimum rating in force yet in Scotland, but the Scottish Government consulted in June 2025 on regulations that would require private rented homes to reach a heat retention rating of band C for new tenancies from 2028 and all tenancies by the end of 2033, so an older, poorly insulated property is worth improving now.
4. Using an agent? Letting agents in Scotland must hold their own registration on the Scottish Letting Agent Register and follow the statutory Code of Practice; ask for the LARN number. It does not replace your own landlord registration. Our guide to letting agent fees in Scotland explains what a managed service costs and what agents cannot charge tenants.

Before you let: the property

5. Gas safety. Every gas appliance and flue needs an annual check by a Gas Safe registered engineer, with a copy of the record given to the tenant.
6. Electrical safety. An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) by a competent electrician is required at least every five years, with portable appliance testing of anything you supply, and since 1 March 2024 the Repairing Standard also requires a residual current device in the installation.
7. Smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms. Since February 2022 every home in Scotland must have interlinked alarms: a smoke alarm in the most-used living room, one in every hallway and landing, a heat alarm in the kitchen, and a carbon monoxide alarm wherever there is a carbon-fuelled appliance such as a boiler or stove.
8. The Repairing Standard. The property must be wind and watertight, with safe structure, installations, fixtures and furnishings, satisfactory fixed heating, safe kitchens with food storage and preparation space, no lead water pipes, secure common doors and safe access to common parts. Tenants can take a landlord who fails the standard to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber). Our guides to checking boiler pressure and blocked drains in a Scottish let show where the standard bites in practice.
9. Legionella. Landlords have a duty under health and safety law to assess the risk of legionella in the water system. For most houses and flats this is a simple documented check of the hot water temperature, tank and little-used outlets, but it must be written down.

Setting up the tenancy

10. Private Residential Tenancy. Every new private tenancy in Scotland since 1 December 2017 is a PRT: open-ended, with no fixed term and no “no-fault” eviction. You must give the tenant written terms, and the Scottish Government’s model tenancy agreement was updated in October 2026. Notice to leave runs to 28 days if the tenant has lived there under six months and 84 days after that, and must cite one of the eviction grounds.
11. Deposit protection. Any deposit must be paid into one of the three approved Scottish schemes within 30 working days of the tenancy starting, with the prescribed information given to the tenant. Deposits are capped at two months’ rent.
12. Rent increases. Under a PRT rent can rise once in any 12 months with at least three months’ written notice on the prescribed form, and the tenant can refer the increase to Rent Service Scotland. No council has yet designated a rent control area under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025; where one is designated, increases would be capped at CPI plus 1%, up to 6%. Our guide to how much a landlord can increase rent in Scotland has the current detail.
13. No Right to Rent checks. The immigration status checks that landlords in England must carry out do not apply in Scotland. You must not discriminate when choosing tenants, and adverts cannot say “no DSS” or exclude people on benefits.

During the tenancy

14. Damp and mould: Awaab’s Law. From 6 October 2026, once a private landlord is aware of possible damp or mould, a competent person must investigate within 10 working days, the tenant must receive a written summary within three working days of the investigation ending, and where substantial damp or mould is found repairs must start within five working days. Keep a dated log of every report, visit and repair; our 12 October round-up summarised the deadlines when they came into force.
15. Repairs and access. Respond to repair requests promptly, give at least 48 hours’ notice before entering for inspections or non-urgent work, and keep receipts: the Repairing Standard applies throughout the tenancy, not just at the start.
16. Renewals and records. Diary the gas certificate, the EICR expiry, the landlord registration renewal (three years, with a £170 late fee) and the EPC expiry, and keep copies of everything for the tenancy plus a reasonable period afterwards.
17. Tax. Rental profit is declared through Self Assessment. A landlord who lives in Scotland pays Scottish income tax rates on it, and the Scottish Budget on 3 December 2026 will set the first separate Scottish rate on property income for 2027-28, following the UK Budget’s increases for landlords elsewhere in the UK. If you own more than one home, the 8% Additional Dwelling Supplement applies to further purchases; our guide to investing in the Scottish property market covers the numbers.

Short-term lets are different

If you let a holiday property or a room by the night in Ayrshire or Glasgow, you need a short-term let licence from the council under the scheme that has applied to all short-term lets since October 2023, with its own safety conditions, and in any area a council has designated as a short-term let control area you also need planning permission, so check with the council before you start. A PRT cannot be used for a holiday let, and a holiday let cannot be used to avoid the PRT rules.

The honest objection: “my agent handles all of this”

A good managing agent will run the certificates, protect the deposit, serve the right notices and log damp and mould reports, and at Lomond that is what a managed service is for. But the legal duties stay with the owner: it is the landlord who must be registered, the landlord who is named on the Repairing Standard application, and the landlord who pays the fine. Use this checklist to check your agent, not to replace them.

Frequently asked questions

What certificates does a landlord need in Scotland?

A valid EPC, an annual gas safety record for any gas appliances, an Electrical Installation Condition Report no more than five years old with PAT testing of supplied appliances, evidence of interlinked smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms, and a written legionella risk assessment. Keep your landlord registration number and the deposit scheme certificate with them. Our landlord registration guide explains the first of those in detail.

How much does it cost to become a landlord in Scotland?

Registration is £105 for one property for three years. Budget for a gas safety check and an EICR, an EPC if yours has expired, alarms if the property does not already meet the 2022 standard, landlord insurance, and the agent’s letting and management fees if you use one. The 8% Additional Dwelling Supplement is the largest cost when buying a second property; our guide to letting agent fees sets out the ongoing charges.

Can I still evict a tenant in Scotland?

Yes, but only on one of the eviction grounds in the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016, such as selling the property, moving in yourself, rent arrears or breach of tenancy, with the correct notice period, and if the tenant does not leave the case goes to the First-tier Tribunal, which decides whether eviction is reasonable. There is no “no-fault” eviction under a PRT. From 6 October 2026 wrongful termination awards rose to between three and 36 months’ rent.

How much can I put the rent up in Scotland?

Once in 12 months, with three months’ notice, to a figure the tenant can challenge through Rent Service Scotland; outside a designated rent control area there is no fixed percentage cap, but the adjudicator can set a market rent that is lower than you asked. No rent control area has been designated as of November 2026. Our guide to rent increases in Scotland walks through the process.

Do I need a licence to let a property in Scotland?

For an ordinary residential let you need landlord registration, not a licence. A licence is needed for a house in multiple occupation (three or more unrelated tenants sharing) and for short-term lets. If you are unsure which category your property falls into, ask your council’s private sector housing team before advertising.

Need help keeping up?

Lomond manages properties for landlords across Ayrshire and Glasgow, from compliance and certificates to rent collection and repairs. Read about our landlord services, or contact our lettings team for a free, no-obligation chat about your property.

This article is general information, not legal or financial advice. Property rules differ across Scotland and the rest of the UK and change over time; check the current position with a solicitor or the relevant council before acting.

Last verified: 9 November 2026 against mygov.scot (landlord registration fees and penalties), the Scottish Government’s Repairing Standard statutory guidance (in force 1 March 2024), the Scottish Government’s Awaab’s Law guidance (in force 6 October 2026), the partial BRIA on the Energy Efficiency (Domestic Private Rented Property) (Scotland) Regulations (June 2025) and the Scottish Association of Landlords’ statement of 5 November 2026.