Rent reviews (Scotland)

Private residential tenancies

Landlords and tenants usually agree between themselves the rent to be paid.

Rent increases

If you want to increase the rent you must give the tenant at least 3 months' written notice in the correct form required by law.

The notice period begins on the date the tenant gets the notice, and ends three months after that date. If you send the rent increase notice to your tenant by post or email, you must allow the tenant 48 hours to receive it. This delivery time should be factored into the amount of notice you give your tenant.

You can only increase the rent once in a year so once increased you must wait 12 months before it can be increased again.

If your tenant thinks the rent increase is too high, they may contact a rent officer within 21 days of receiving your notice. They must tell you if they are doing this. The rent officer has the power to decide what the rent for the property should be and can vary the rent up or down.

If you or your tenant disagrees with the rent officer's decision you can ask them to reconsider it, or appeal to The First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber), who will make a final decision.

This may agree with the amount set by the rent officer or be higher or lower. If you want to appeal to the Tribunal, you must do this within 14 days of the rent officer's decision.

Illegal charges

Other than the rent, you can only ask your tenant to pay a deposit. This must not be more than two months' rent. You may not charge the tenant for providing written tenancy terms or any other information that you have a duty to provide. It's a criminal offence to make your tenant pay any other administration fees, premiums or additional charges, even if refundable.

Rent caps

The Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 allows for a limit on rent increases to be introduced in areas of Scotland where rents are rising steeply. These areas will be known as rent control areas. Rent control areas replace the old system of rent pressure zones.

There are currently no rent control areas in Scotland. Before any can be introduced, local authorities must assess local rent conditions. This is expected to be done between 2027 and 2028 at the earliest. As part of the process, landlords may be asked to disclose how much rent their tenants pay (and possibly other information about the tenancy).

Once the assessments are done, Scottish Ministers will have the power to designate rent control areas. They must first consult the relevant local authority and representatives of landlords and tenants in the area.

Ministers can only designate a rent control area if they are satisfied that restricting rent increases is:

• Necessary and proportionate to protect the social and economic interests of tenants in that area.
• A necessary and proportionate control of landlords' use of their property.

When a rent control area is created:

• It will last for a maximum of 5 years, unless it is removed earlier due to a change in circumstances.
• Rent increases will be limited to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus 1%, up to a maximum of 6%.

For more information, see the government guidance on rent controls.