Rent controls in Scotland: what landlords need to know

No part of Scotland has rent controls today. But the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 allows the Scottish Government to create "rent control areas", and councils are now collecting the information to decide where they might be needed. If you let property in Scotland, this is what you need to know.

How the rent cap would work

In a rent control area, rent could only go up once a year. The rise would be limited to inflation (CPI) plus 1%, and never more than 6%. For example, if CPI inflation is 3%, the most you could add is 4%.

The important part is that the cap follows the property, not the tenant. According to the Scottish Government, it applies during a tenancy and between tenancies, and a property can only have one rent rise per year however many tenants it has. So you can't reset the rent to market level just because a tenant moves out.

Which properties are exempt

Build-to-rent

Groups of six or more homes built under the same planning permission, owned by one landlord and built after August 2021.

Mid-market rent

Homes where the rent is already limited, for example because of public funding.

New to the market

The Scottish Government says homes that are new to private renting, or that have had no tenancy for the previous 12 months, can be let at a market rent.

Most small landlords won't fit any of these. If you let an ordinary flat, expect the cap to apply to you if your area is chosen.

Key dates

1 April 2026

Councils started assessing rents in their areas. They can ask landlords for rent information.

6 October 2026

Higher penalties if a tenant is evicted on false grounds: 3 to 36 months' rent, instead of up to 6 months.

1 April 2027

Tenants get 30 days, instead of 21, to challenge a rent increase.

31 May 2027

First council rent assessments are due to the Scottish Government.

After May 2027

The first rent control areas could be created, after consultation with landlords, tenants and councils.

What doesn't change

Under a private residential tenancy you can already only raise the rent once every 12 months, and you must give the tenant at least three months' written notice. The tenant can already ask a rent officer to check the increase. These rules apply everywhere in Scotland, whether or not your area becomes a rent control area.

What I would do as a landlord

If your area becomes a rent control area, the rent you charge at that moment will matter, because future rises will be limited. That doesn't mean you should push your rent up now. A big jump can lose you a good tenant, and the tenant can challenge it.

I would review the rent every year and keep it close to the market, instead of leaving it for years and then needing a big rise. Keep clear records of every rent change and the notice you gave. And keep an eye on your council's rent assessment. Rents in Scotland have been flat for a year, as I explain in Scottish rents have stopped rising, which may affect where controls end up being used.

Sources: Scottish Government: rent controls · Scottish Government: exempt property regulations · Scottish Association of Landlords