SafeDeposits Scotland Blog

A recent study has shown that the Scottish housing market is showing little sign of recovery, giving little hope to the government or economists. In the three months ending in October 2012, the average residential property price in Scotland fell 5.8% according to the latest index from Lloyds TSB. This means they are 90% of the peak of 2008, with no signs of prices or transactions increasing. Coupled with this, the Scottish House Price Monitor has shown that Scottish house prices have fallen...Read More

New research commissioned by SafeDeposits Scotland has revealed that over three quarters of people are not aware of tenancy deposit schemes - despite the final deadline for all deposits to be secured being less than two months away. From May 15th 2013 all deposits from privately rented properties must be secured into one of the three government approved tenancy deposit schemes in Scotland, as part of the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011. Despite the imminent deadline,...Read More

There is now less than a month left until all eligible deposits in Scotland must be transferred to a tenancy deposit scheme. The transfer of deposits has been phased in since the launch of tenancy deposit schemes in Scotland last July - but by 15th May 2013 all eligible deposits must be transferred to an approved scheme. SafeDeposits Scotland, the leading tenancy deposit scheme provider in Scotland, and the Scottish Association of Landlords have joined together to urge landlords to...Read More

With just one week to go until the final deadline for all eligible deposits to be transferred to a tenancy deposit scheme, we asked one letting agent to tell us his experience of using SafeDeposits Scotland. Scott Weir is Managing Director at Homesure - a Ayr based letting agent, covering Ayrshire and Glasgow, with around 600 properties. He said: "Despite initial reservations about the tenancy deposit scheme coming into force, I have found it to be a refreshing experience that has...Read More

Over half of deposits for private tenancies in Scotland may not yet have been paid into a legally required tenancy deposit scheme - with just one day left until the final deadline to transfer deposits. Based on the latest Scottish Government figures, we estimate that there are up to 56% of tenancies eligible for taking a deposit where a deposit has not yet been paid into a scheme. According to the latest Scottish Government figures up to the end of March there are only 129,164 deposits...Read More

We recognise that often landlords and letting agents will have a valid reason to withhold a deposit, or a share of it, at the end of a tenancy - but with the arrival of tenancy deposit schemes, the process of claiming has changed dramatically, especially if the tenant disputes the claim. While no one wants a tenancy to end in a dispute over the deposit, if it does, it's best to be prepared. SafeDeposits is committed to helping landlords and letting agents know what to expect if the deposit...Read More