Practice update
The Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 was passed by the Scottish Parliament in March 2003 and given Royal Assent on 9 April 2003. While the Act has been passed by parliament, it has not yet all become law. This will happen through a series of commencements, or phases, over the coming years.
Commencements
The sections of the Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 are commenced at different times over the period of implementation of the Act. This page lists sections which have been commenced so far, and looks at when future commencements are likely to take place.
Section 11
Section 11 was implemented by local authorities on 1 April 2009. Section 11 refers to the Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 and is part of the commitment that, by 2012, all unintentionally homeless people will be entitled to a permanent home.
Unsuitable Accommodation Order
On 1 December 2004 the Scottish Parliament Communities Committee approved the Unsuitable Accommodation (Scotland) Order 2004. The Order was introduced as part of the Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 and effectively bans the use of bed and breakfast accommodation for families with children, except in specific circumstances.
Rights for hostel dwellers
Section 7 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 gave Scottish Ministers the power to produce regulations that would set out the terms of the occupancy between a hostel dweller and a provider and a minimum period of notice for hostel dwellers. This page looks at the progress of these regulations.
