Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by Property Industry Eye. Read the original article for full details.
Tribunal Delays Forcing Landlords Out of Scottish Rental Market
Growing delays in Scotland's housing tribunal are forcing landlords to leave the private rented sector, according to Aberdein Considine. The property and legal firm reports that these delays are reducing the supply of homes available to rent.
Aberdein Considine stated that landlords it represents are typically waiting between eight and twelve months from applying for an eviction order to receiving a tribunal hearing. Legal costs can reach around £10,000 before cases are resolved.
Citing figures from the Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL), Aberdein Considine noted that the average time between an eviction application being lodged and a tribunal decision has increased from around three months in 2019 to more than eight months in 2025. The SAL's data also showed that tenants being evicted for rent arrears owed an average of 14.7 months' rent by the time a decision was reached, compared with 8.7 months in 2019.
Aberdein Considine said that the delays, combined with rising costs and increased regulation, were prompting many smaller landlords to sell their properties rather than remain in the sector. The firm highlighted that many Scottish landlords own only one or two properties as part of their retirement planning and long-term financial security, and that prolonged delays and mounting costs were leaving them with little choice but to sell.
John Blackwood, chief executive of the SAL, said that delays in eviction notices can seriously impact landlords' businesses and consequently affect the supply of rented property available at any one time. He called for the Scottish Government to work with landlords and tenants to speed up the process.
These developments are particularly relevant for letting agents and inventory clerks, as changes in landlord participation and property availability may affect the rental market and the demand for their services.
Source: Property Industry Eye