Minimum period for applications to remain in force - suspensions under section 20B of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987: statutory guidance

3. Restrictions on A Landlord’s Ability to Impose A Suspension

3.1 There are some restrictions in housing law on how suspensions policies operate, for example there are restrictions on when landlords can or cannot take account of rent or other housing related arrears^[2].

3.2 Section 20(2)(b) of the 1987 Act prevents landlords from imposing a requirement that an application must have remained in force for a minimum period before the applicant is eligible for a housing allocation. This in practice means that where section 20(2)(b) applies a social landlord cannot suspend an application for a period of time, from the point the applicant applied for housing, before an offer of housing will be made.