SafeDeposits Scotland Blog

Yes, you can pay the deposit to SafeDeposits in installments. While the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011 require deposits to be paid to a tenancy deposit scheme within 30 working days of the tenancy start date, they are silent on how installments taken during the tenancy should be paid. However, we recommend that landlords and letting agents transfer the first installment within 30 working days of the start of the tenancy, and all following installments as soon as...Read More

This month we're celebrating five years since the launch of tenancy deposit schemes in Scotland. The new requirement to protect tenancy deposits was introduced by the Scottish Government and we opened for business from our Glasgow city centre office on 2nd July 2012. Five years later, we're delighted to have become the country's leading tenancy deposit scheme, protecting almost 60% of the market, more than all the other schemes combined. We've recently reached a further...Read More

More landlords and agents are taking photographs and videos to record the condition of the property at the beginning and end of the tenancy. Unfortunately the results are not always as clear and useful as they might be. The most important thing to remember is that photographs and videos can support a written inventory and check-out report but they can rarely replace the written word. For example, they can't portray smell and are often insufficiently detailed to show cleaning issues...Read More

With the new Letting Agent Code of Practice (Scotland) Regulations coming into force on 31 January 2018, ARLA Propertymark has warned agents to be ready. The Code of Practice that all letting agents must comply with is designed to ensure uniformity in quality service across the industry. It will cover standards of practice, handling of tenants' and landlords' money, and professional indemnity agreements. Part of a wider raft of regulations agents will have to abide by, it will also...Read More

How do I complete the prescribed information form? The Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011 require landlords who take a deposit from their tenant to: Transfer the deposit to a government approved tenancy deposit scheme; and Provide the tenant(s) with particular key information. The deposit should be protected and the key information provided within 30 working days of the tenancy start date. To help make providing the key information easier, we have a...Read More