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, housing associations and housing co-ops must follow the correct legal procedure to evict tenants. This page explains that procedure. It may be possible to stop the process at any stage, so get advice as soon as possible.
Grounds for eviction
If your landlord is trying to evict you, they have to provide a reason or a ground. This page lists the grounds that can be used by councils, housing associations and housing co-ops. Depending on the ground used, you may be evicted but 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 they believe that you have left your home without telling them. Find out what your landlord has to do before they can end your tenancy and what to do if you are still living at home and your landlord is mistaken.
