Eviction from council, housing association or co-op accommodation and temporary accommodation

This content applies to Scotland only.

Housing laws vary between Scotland and England. Get advice relating to England

Councils, housing associations and housing co-ops have to follow special legal procedures to evict tenants. This section explains these procedures and what you may be able to do to prevent the eviction. It also explains your rights if you are facing eviction from temporary homeless accommodation.

Whether you can be evicted and how depends on the type of tenancy agreement you have. Most council, housing association and housing co-op tenants have either Scottish secure tenancies (SSTs) or short Scottish secure tenancies (SSSTs). If you're not sure what kind of tenancy you have, you can use our online tenancy checker to find out.

If your landlord wants to evict you, get advice immediately. An adviser may be able to help get the eviction stopped or delayed. Use the Advice Services Directory to find an advice centre near you.

The eviction process

Councils must follow a certain legal procedure to evict their tenants. It may be possible to stop the process at any stage, so get advice as soon as possible.

Grounds for eviction

If your landlord wants to evict you, they have to provide a reason. This page lists the reasons that can be used by councils. Depending on the reason, you may be offered alternative accommodation.

Eviction of short Scottish secure tenants

Short Scottish secure tenants can be evicted more easily than Scottish secure tenants. This page explains more about the eviction process.

Eviction from temporary accommodation

This page explains what happens if you are evicted from temporary accommodation provided by the council when you made a homeless application.

Abandoning a tenancy

Your landlord can end your tenancy if you leave without telling them. Find out what your landlord has to do to end your tenancy and what to do if your landlord is mistaken and you're still living there.

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