Registering as a private landlord

You must be registered as a private landlord if you are (or will be) renting out residential property. It is an offence to let out properties that aren't registered.

Update

From 1 March 2024 all private rented properties and short term lets in Scotland will be required to have fixed central heating, a kitchen with adequate space and facilities to prepare and store food. This brings together both existing and new duties included in the Repairing Standard. New duties cover kitchens, fixed heating systems, common parts, and fuel supplies.

The existing duty to ensure that the structure and exterior of the house is in a reasonable state of repair and in proper working order has been amended to specify that where a private rented house or short term let is a flat in a tenement, the tenant must be able to safely access and use any common parts of the tenement, such as common closes. And Section 16 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 dealing with exceptions to landlords' repairing duties, is amended to make it clear that a private rented house which is a flat in a tenement does not fail the repairing standard if work otherwise needed to comply with the standard cannot be carried out because a majority of owners in the tenement have refused consent to carry out the work.

The existing duty to ensure fire safety in private rented houses and short term lets has been amended to specify that common doors must be secure and fitted with satisfactory locks. The existing duty to ensure that installations for the supply of electricity in a private rented house are in a reasonable state of repair and in proper working order will also specify that these must include a residual current device (a device to reduce the risk of electrocution and fire by breaking the circuit in the event of a fault). The existing duty to ensure that installations for the supply of gas and electricity in a private rented house and short term lets are in a reasonable state of repair and in proper working order will be extended to any other types of fuel.

The new Repairing Standard also requires water pipes in private rented and short term let properties to be free of lead and where this cannot be ascertained water testing must be carried out to check for the presence of lead piping. Fixed space heating systems must be capable of maintaining a temperature of 21⁰C in at least one room and 18⁰C elsewhere, when the outside temperature is minus 1⁰C. And where the property is in a tenement, common doors must be secure and fitted with satisfactory emergency exit locks and a secure entry system.

For further information:

Repairing Standard: statutory guidance for private landlords - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)


New Fees

Landlord registration increased on 3 April 2023

  • Principal Fee: £75.00
  • Discounted Principal Fee: £37.50
  • Property Fee: £17.00
  • Late Application Fee: £149.00

Please note, the fees for a registration application are made up of: principal fees for each person applying and a property fee for each property listed.

How to register

Landlords can register themselves and their properties for a period of 3 years:

Register online as a landlord

If registering online is not possible, paper application forms are available on request, by emailing landlordregistration@dumgal.gov.uk or telephoning 01387 273164.

You are legally required to keep your details up to date and accurate. You should notify us immediately if your details have changed or you are no longer a landlord.

If you are not already registered then you'll receive two requests by post to register. We will consider enforcement action if you don't register, this includes payment of a £137 late fee before your application is considered. You can't pay this online so will need to contact us directly. The fee is applied to each joint owner, named in the title deeds, of the property being rented or advertised to let.

Renew your registration

You can renew your registration up to three months before it expires without losing entitlement. A late fee of £149.00 will be added to registration costs if you fail to renew in time. The fee will be applied to each joint owner, named in the title deeds, of the property being rented or advertised to let.

We'll send you a reminder by email (if supplied) or by post three months before your renewal date. A second reminder will also be issued by email or post if necessary one month before expiry.

Rules for advertising property to let

You must follow rules when advertising properties to let. Any written advertisements, including internet and newspaper adverts or shop window displays, must:

  • display a landlord registration number. You only need to display one number if a property is jointly owned by two landlords. If you're waiting on the outcome of an application then you should insert "landlord registration pending".
  • display an energy performance rating.The energy performance indicator can be found on your property's Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

Fire Detection in Private Properties

There has been a change in legislation affecting the fire detection in private rented properties.  As of 1st March 2019, the standard can be complied with by either mains-operated alarms or tamper proof long-life lithium batteries.  Detectors may be interlinked either wirelessly or hard wired. 

Private residential tenancies

Any tenancy starting on or after 1 December 2017 will be a Private Residential Tenancy (this replaces Short Assured and Assured Tenancies).

The purpose of the tenancy is to improve security for tenants and provide safeguards for landlords, lenders and investors.  The new tenancy will be open-ended and will last until a tenant wishes to leave the let property or a landlord uses one or more of the 18 grounds for eviction.

Guidance (including a model tenancy agreement) is available for both landlords and tenants:

Resolving disputes

The Housing and Property Chamber make decisions on rent or repair issues in private sector housing . They also deal with civil cases relating to the private rented sector that were previously handled within the Sheriff Court. This includes:

  • applying for eviction and repossession orders
  • requesting consideration of whether a tenancy has been unlawfully terminated
  • resolving disagreements on fulfilling terms of a Private Residential Tenancy
  • resolving disagreements on the rent set by the Rent Officer

The First-tier Tribunal for Scotland is based in Glasgow but hearings will also be held in locations across Scotland as required. Further information on the process and application forms can be found on the Housing and Property Chamber website.

Visit the Housing and Property Chamber website

Homelessness Section 11 Notice

If you are a landlord (either a private landlord or a registered social landlord) or creditor (mortgage holder) you are legally required to tell us when you start taking court action that could result in making someone homeless. By giving us this early warning, you can help us to take action to prevent homelessness.

Section 11 of the Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 came into force on 1 April 2009. This legislation aims to make sure we know in advance when a household is at risk of being evicted or having their home repossessed. Giving us this notification is a helpful trigger, allowing us to intervene at an early stage and hopefully prevent homelessness occurring. Where it is not possible for us to prevent homelessness, we can still minimise the stress and trauma of losing a home and help the household to find alternative accommodation as quickly as possible.

This legislation applies to you if you are raising court proceedings to either lawfully evict a tenant or to repossess a property. If this court action could result in making someone homeless you must send us specific information in a specific format detailing the action, you are taking.

The information we need depends on whether you are a landlord or a creditor. These documents detail exactly the information you need to send us:

You can email us your notification at: HomelessPrevention@dumgal.gov.uk

 

Resources

Tell us about unregistered properties

You can report an unregistered property anonymously online if you think there's an issue:

Let us know about an unregistered property

Advice and support

Further information and help in relation to private sector housing is available from a number of sources, including:

Page last updated: 27/02/2024
email icon print icon