SafeDeposits Scotland Blog

Whether you're new to the letting industry, or have been working in the sector for some time, the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) are holding training courses to help. The Scottish Letting & Property Management – Part A course is aimed at those with little or no experience of the letting industry. It aims to give a basic understanding of the legal concepts which underlie the letting of property. It focuses on the most important things which an agency needs...Read More

Three years ago the introduction of the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011 meant SafeDeposits Scotland was born with the purpose of protecting millions of pounds worth of deposits in the private rented sector. This meant we had to convince a nation's landlords and letting agencies that SafeDeposits Scotland was the organisation they should entrust their deposits with. So three years on, where are we? Over 60% of Scotland's private rented sector has complied with...Read More

All letting agents managing property in Scotland need to be aware of the Letting Agent Code of Practice being introduced by the Scottish Government in January 2018. It sounds a long way off but the Code will require agents to make changes and train staff and that means preparation needs to start in offices across Scotland straight away. Firstly, familiarise yourself with the requirements of the Code. The Scottish Government want to ensure the Private Rented Sector in Scotland is...Read More

We're delighted to announce our new magazine, Deposits in Scotland, which we have created to highlight the issues and developments affecting the private rented sector. The magazine includes: An update on recent sanctions for non-compliance, including the landmark case which saw the first letting agency convicted; We have also crunched our figures to give you an insight into the latest repayment and dispute trends; Expect advice from respected agents Adrian Sangster of...Read More

2016 was rather less than dull in the geo-political sphere. Brexit in June. Trump elected US President in November. Yet despite all the turmoil, the Scottish PRS has in general followed a very set path throughout. The national rate of growth of the Scottish PRS has remained around 2% at each quarter throughout 2016. This has been determined by set trajectories within the country's main residential letting markets. Indeed, the latest Scottish Household Survey (2015) also confirms...Read More

The Scottish Government, in conjunction with the Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL) and the Council of Letting Agents (CLA), recently held a series of awareness raising events across Scotland to help letting agents prepare for the Letting Agent Code of Practice Regulations 2016. Members of the SafeDeposits team attended the events in Dundee and Edinburgh, and we have summarised the key topics covered below: Requirements on letting agents in Scotland If you do letting agency...Read More