Agricultural holdings and tenant farming guide

Housing standards

It is not acceptable for tenants and families living in rented agricultural housing in Scotland to be living in substandard homes, which we would not accept if provided by a private landlord in an urban area.  We  are working to ensure that this housing meets the repairing standard by March 2027.

There is already a statutory duty to meet the tolerable standard for housing.  Housing regulations which came into force on 1 March 2019 include the provision that the repairing standard will apply to agricultural housing from 28 March 2027.

The results of the Agricultural Tenancy House Condition Survey helped establish the scale of work required to bring rented agricultural houses up to the repairing standard. Responses to the survey indicated a significant proportion of this category of housing falls short of not only the repairing standard, but also of the statutory tolerable standard.

Working together with the housing and agricultural sectors, and leading on from our stakeholder summit in Perth in October 2018, we are committed to improving the condition of this category of homes.

You should note that the need to improve the standard of housing also applies to agricultural housing occupied by employees on owner-occupied farms.

Read more:

• Repairing Standard
• Tolerable Standard

A new deal for tenants consultation

We are now consulting on the draft A new deal for tenants - rented sector strategy, which seeks to improve accessibility, affordability choices and standards across the whole rented sector in Scotland.

The consultation will close on 15 April 2022.