About short Scottish secure tenancies

This content applies to Scotland only.

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

This page explains what a short Scottish secure tenancy (SSST) is, who will have one and how it can be converted to a Scottish secure tenancy, with increased rights.

What is an SSST?

A short Scottish secure tenancy is a short term or probationary tenancy agreement which can be given to tenants by a council, housing association or housing co-op. SSSTs are offered:

for lets for a trial period, after which your tenancy may be upgraded to a Scottish secure tenancy, or
for temporary lets.

Who has an SSST?

You may be offered an SSST instead of an SST because:

in the last three years you have been evicted from a previous tenancy because of antisocial behaviour or you or a member of your household has had an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) served against you (in this situation there will be services available such as counselling to support you during the duration of your tenancy)
you have a let of six months or more with support to help you sustain your tenancy (this could include debt and financial advice if you have previously had problems with rent arrears, or other forms of counselling)
you have just moved to a new area to start a job and need a short term tenancy while you look for your own accommodation
you are homeless and have been offered temporary accommodation for six months or more
the property you will be living in is going to be developed.

How do I know if I've got an SSST?

Before signing a tenancy agreement, your landlord must give you a notice informing you:

that you are being offered an SSST
why you are being offered an SSST and not an SST
how long the lease is for (this must be at least six months).

If you do not think you should be offered a short tenancy instead of an SST, you can apply to the sheriff court for an order to make your landlord offer you an SST. Talk to an adviser at a Shelter advice centre or Citizens Advice if you're considering this course of action. You can find help near you using the Advice Services Directory.

What are my rights?

As a short Scottish secure tenant you have more limited rights than a Scottish secure tenant:

You can be evicted more easily.
You don't have the right to buy your home.
No-one can succeed to your tenancy if you die.

Read more about your full rights under an SSST agreement.

What happens when my lease ends?

Your short SST agreement will state that your tenancy is for a fixed period of time of at least six months. If by the end of that time, neither you nor your landlord has requested that the lease ends, it will renew itself for the same amount of time again (so, for example, for another six months). This is called tacit relocation.

Alternatively, you and your landlord can agree for the lease to be renewed for a different period of time. This can be less than six months.

If your landlord wants to end your SSST at the end of the fixed period, they must start eviction proceedings.

Your renewed tenancy will still be a short SST.

How can an SSST be converted to an SST?

If you have been given an SSST because of a previous eviction for antisocial behaviour or because a member of your household has an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) served against them, the SSST will be converted to an SST at the end of 12 months, provided the landlord hasn't given you a notice to quit.

Your landlord will notify you when your tenancy agreement changes, and will tell you what your new rights and responsibilities are.

However, your new SST can be converted back to an SSST if you are found guilty of antisocial behaviour again.

This does not apply to other SSST tenants (for example, homeless people in temporary accommodation, or people who are new to an area or living in temporary lets in property that is due to be developed).

Support for short Scottish secure tenants

If you have been given an SSST because you have been evicted from previous accommodation for antisocial behaviour or because you or another member of your household is subject to an ASBO then your landlord must make support available to you to help you maintain your tenancy and eventually convert to an SST. You don't have to accept this support, but it may be a condition of your tenancy being converted to an SST.

The kind of support you may be offered could be: