Scottish Government confirms intention to extend six month notice of eviction requirement to March 2021

First Minister assures Scottish Parliament of commitment 'to do everything that we can' to protect tenants and prevent people from becoming homeless as a result of the pandemic

The Scottish Government has confirmed that it intends to extend the six month notice of eviction requirement - that was introduced by the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 - to March 2021.

Responding to a question on housing evictions in the Scottish Parliament yesterday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that -

'... the emergency legislation that we passed in the Parliament in effect halted eviction action for up to six months. That emergency legislation is currently in place until 30 September and, yesterday, we confirmed that, subject to the agreement of Parliament, it will be extended to March 2021. That underlines the continuing commitment of the Government to do everything that we can to protect tenants and prevent people from becoming homeless as a result of the pandemic.'

NB - Schedule 1 to the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 provides for -

• the temporary extension, to six months, of the notice to leave period, or notice of proceedings for possession period, for tenants in the private and social rented sector, except in relation to certain grounds including antisocial behaviour and criminal behaviour and where the landlord requires the property to live in, where it will be three months; and
• temporarily making all grounds for repossession in the private rented sector discretionary so that the Property Chamber Tribunal can consider the full facts of the case when deciding whether to grant an eviction.

Ms Sturgeon's response is available from parliament.scot