Your housing rights in the cost of living crisis
The eviction ban has ended
The eviction ban ended on 31 March 2024. The ban meant that some evictions were delayed.
If your landlord wants to evict you they must still follow a strict process.
If you need help to prevent or delay an eviction, contact a Shelter Scotland adviser.
What the eviction ban meant
During the ban your landlord could still:
send you a valid eviction notice
get an eviction order from a court or tribunal
If the court or tribunal granted an eviction order, it would include the date when your landlord can use it to evict you. This must have been after 31 March 2024.
There were exceptions to the ban.
Who the ban applied to
The ban could have been applied if you rented from:
a private landlord or letting agency
the council or a housing association
college or university halls or purpose built student accommodation
The ban did not apply if you lived with your landlord.
Exceptions to the eviction ban
You could still have been evicted during the ban if both of the following applied:
your landlord gave you an eviction notice before 6 September 2022
your landlord applied for an eviction order at the court or tribunal before 28 October 2022
Regardless of the above dates, you could also have been evicted during the ban if:
you’d stopped living in the property
you were being evicted for antisocial or criminal activity
you'd ended your employment with your landlord
you had 6 months rent arrears or more, if you rented from a private landlord or letting agent
you had £2,250 rent arrears or more, if you had a social tenancy from the council or a housing association
your home needed to be demolished or renovated, if you had a social tenancy from the council or a housing association
Your landlord had to try to help you before evicting you for rent arrears. The court or tribunal also had to consider whether it was reasonable to evict you.
We have guidance if:
There were exceptions related to your landlord’s situation
If you rented from a private landlord and their finances were in trouble, you could also have been evicted during the ban. For example, if:
they needed to move in or sell to avoid becoming homeless themselves
your landlord’s mortgage lender had repossessed the property
If your private landlord lied on your eviction notice
If your landlord used misleading information to evict you, you can apply to the tribunal for a wrongful termination order. You could get up to 6 months’ rent in compensation.
To get compensation, all of the following must apply:
you had a private residential tenancy
you received a notice to leave
you moved out of the property
Follow our guidance on going to the tribunal for a wrongful termination order.
Last updated: 1 April 2024
Housing laws differ between Scotland and England.
This content applies to Scotland only.