Selling a tenanted property in Scotland

Thinking of selling up as a landlord in Scotland? The rules are among the most tenant-protective in the UK, and they've tightened again for 2026. Here's what you need to know — and the two ways to actually sell.

The Private Residential Tenancy

Since 1 December 2017, almost all private lets in Scotland are Private Residential Tenancies (PRTs) under the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016. Short assured tenancies were abolished. Crucially, a PRT is open-ended — there's no fixed term you can simply wait out.

You can't just give notice

To recover vacant possession you must rely on one of 18 statutory grounds (one of which is that you intend to sell), and apply to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) — not the Sheriff Court. Notice is typically 28 or 84 days depending on the ground and how long the tenancy has run, and the Tribunal now applies a reasonableness test before granting an order. In short: getting a property empty takes time and isn't guaranteed.

What's changed for 2026: rent controls

The Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 introduced a framework for long-term, area-based rent control. From 1 April 2026, assessments began that can lead to Rent Control Areas, where rent can be increased only once every 12 months. Whatever your view of it, it's prompting some landlords to reconsider whether to stay in the sector.

Two ways to sell

1. Sell with tenants in place. The simplest route: sell to a buyer who's happy to take the property on with the tenancy in situ — no eviction, no void period, no lost rent. Braehold buys tenanted homes exactly this way.

2. Sell with vacant possession. Use the "landlord intends to sell" ground through the Tribunal to end the tenancy first — slower, and dependent on the Tribunal.

Either way, our tenanted-property service can help, and we buy across Scotland and the rest of the UK.