Congratulations on the move. If you have decided to keep one of your properties in Glasgow and rent it out, this is what the law in Scotland asks you to have in place before your first tenant moves in, as it stands in November 2026. None of it is complicated, and most of it can be arranged while you are busy with the move itself.
Register as a landlord before you advertise
The first job is to register as a landlord with the council online. If the property is in both your names, you both register, and the second owner registers free. At the time of writing the fee is £85 plus £20 for each property, so £105 for one home, and registration lasts three years.
Your registration number goes on every advert, along with the property’s energy rating, or “landlord registration pending” while your application is processed. Letting without registering can bring a fine of up to £50,000, which is why it comes first.
Talk to your lender, your insurer and your factor
If there is still a mortgage on the property, ask your lender for consent to let before the advert goes live. Then tell your insurer the property is going to be let. That means the buildings insurance, and the contents insurance too if you are leaving furniture behind that you want covered.
In many buildings the factor arranges the buildings insurance for the whole building, so let them know as well, and give them your new address for correspondence while you are at it.
The rent counts as income too. Our guide to how rental profit is taxed explains how that works in Scotland, with and without a mortgage.
The safety checks to book
Every rented home in Scotland has to meet the Repairing Standard, and the Scottish Government’s guidance for landlords sets out the checks you need before your first tenant arrives:
- Electrics: an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) before the first let and at least every five years, plus a test of any appliances you are leaving behind.
- Gas: a yearly safety check on every gas appliance and flue, carried out by an engineer on the Gas Safe Register.
- Alarms: smoke alarms linked to each other in the living room, hallways and landings, a kitchen heat alarm, and a carbon monoxide alarm beside the boiler and any other fuel-burning appliance.
- Water: a legionella risk assessment before the first let, reviewed at least every two years, and a check of any visible pipework for lead.
Your tenant gets a copy of the electrical and gas reports before they move in. You will also need an Energy Performance Certificate, which lasts ten years, and your new tenant gets a copy free.
We arrange all of these for the landlords we manage, and confirm the price with you before anything is booked.
The paperwork for move-in day
Your tenant will have a Private Residential Tenancy, and the Scottish Government’s model tenancy agreement, last updated on 6 October 2026, is the usual starting point. By the end of the first day, your tenant needs a signed copy and the Easy Read Notes that explain their rights.
Any deposit goes into one of the three approved deposit schemes no later than 30 working days after the tenancy starts: Letting Protection Service Scotland, mydeposits Scotland or SafeDeposits Scotland. A tribunal can order up to three times the deposit if this is missed, so it is one date to keep an eye on.
Last of all, an inventory with photographs, agreed with your tenant at check-in, gives you both one clear record of how the property started out, which keeps any deposit deduction fair at the end.
How we help you rent out your property in Glasgow
If you would rather settle into your new home and leave the letting to us, our Fully Managed service looks after the letting for you. We help with your landlord registration, photograph and film the property, advertise it on Rightmove, Citylets, our website and social media, and handle every enquiry and viewing. We pay for tenant referencing and an independent inventory, prepare the tenancy and register the deposit. Then we collect the rent, look after repairs and keep track of every renewal date.
Fully Managed is 10% per month (8.33% + VAT), plus a £200 fee per new tenancy (£166.67 + VAT). The minimum management fee is £60 per month. On a rent of £1,000 per month you pay £100 per month, taken from the rent before it reaches you, and our management fees only start once your tenant moves in. All prices include VAT.
We have let and managed property in Glasgow since 1999. We are members of the Scottish Association of Landlords, and your rent is held under Client Money Protection.
Your next step
If the two of you are still weighing up selling or letting, our article on what to do when one of you wants to sell and the other doesn’t works through the numbers. Once you have decided to let, our free instant rental valuation shows what your property could earn, or ring us on 0141 553 2677 to talk through what yours needs.
This article reflects the position in Scotland in November 2026. It isn’t legal or tax advice.
Letting an empty property?
Our Fully Managed service finds the right tenant and looks after the rent, repairs, inspections and compliance for 10% per month including VAT, plus £200 per new tenancy. Fees only start when your tenant moves in.