Private residential tenancy (PRT)
A private residential tenancy, usually shortened to PRT, is the statutory tenancy that applies to every new private let in Scotland since 1 December 2017, created by the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016. It is open-ended, with no fixed term and no end date; it ends only when the tenant gives 28 days' notice or the landlord obtains an eviction order from the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland on one of 18 statutory grounds. It replaced the short assured tenancy and the assured tenancy for new lets.
When a tenancy is a PRT
A let is a private residential tenancy when the property is let to an individual as a separate dwelling and the tenant occupies it as their only or principal home, unless it falls within an exclusion such as a holiday let, a resident-landlord arrangement, purpose-built student accommodation or social housing. The name on the agreement does not matter: any qualifying tenancy granted after 1 December 2017 is a PRT in law, whatever it is called. A room in a shared flat counts as a separate dwelling, so shared houses are let on PRTs.
What the landlord must provide
The landlord must give the tenant all the terms of the tenancy in writing, together with the Scottish Government's Easy Read Notes or Statutory Terms Supporting Notes, by the end of the day the tenancy starts. The Act prescribes mandatory terms covering the parties, the property, the start date, rent, deposit, rent increases, access on 48 hours' notice, and the ban on subletting without consent; the Scottish Government's model tenancy agreement contains them all. Rent can rise once in 12 months on three months' notice, and the deposit must be lodged with a Scottish scheme within 30 working days. How to set one up, and the comparison with the tenancies it replaced, is in our guide to the private residential tenancy for landlords.
Related terms
The PRT is the Scottish counterpart of the assured periodic tenancy in England and the occupation contract in Wales; it is not the same as an assured shorthold tenancy, which never applied in Scotland. The short assured tenancy, its predecessor, still governs lets that began before December 2017. The landlord's notice to end a PRT is the notice to leave; the tenant's is a simple written notice. Every other duty that sits around a PRT, from landlord registration to the Repairing Standard, is in our Scottish landlord guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can a landlord give a PRT a minimum term?
No. A clause fixing a term or a minimum stay has no effect. The tenant can leave on 28 days' notice at any point.
How does a landlord end a private residential tenancy?
By serving a notice to leave citing one or more of the 18 grounds in Schedule 3 to the 2016 Act, giving 28 or 84 days' notice depending on the tenant's length of occupation and the ground, then applying to the tribunal if the tenant does not leave. All grounds are discretionary.
Is a private residential tenancy affected by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025?
Yes, in stages. From 6 October 2026 wrongful termination awards rise and the succession qualifying period falls to six months; from 1 April 2027 a single joint tenant can end a joint PRT and the rent referral window becomes 30 days; rent control areas can follow council assessments due by 31 May 2027. August's Scottish compliance journey carries each of those dates against the tenancy.
