Welcome to Scotland: a guide for service personnel and their families moving to Scotland

Housing

In Scotland, in addition to Service Family Accommodation and Single Living Accommodation (provided through the Ministry of Defence), there are a number of housing options available depending on where you would like to live.

Buying a home

If you wish to buy a home but cannot afford the total cost, there are a number of schemes that might be able to help you.

The Forces Help to Buy Scheme enables Service personnel to borrow up to 50% of their salary (to a maximum of £25,000) to buy their first home, or to move to another property on assignment or as their families' needs change. More information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/forces-help-to-buy

The Scottish Government operates shared equity schemes which can help you to buy a home that is for sale on the open market, or to buy a new build home from a housing association or local council. Support is also offered through the Help to Buy (Scotland) Scheme to purchase a new build property from a participating builder. Funding for these schemes is provided by the Scottish Government and you can find out more about them at https://www.mygov.scot/help-buying-home/

Renting a property

You may wish to rent a property from a private landlord or apply for housing from a social landlord, either a local council or housing association.

If you want to rent a home privately, there are steps you should follow. For example, before you move into a property, you should sign a tenancy agreement which sets out the terms of your tenancy. You'll usually pay the first month's rent and the deposit on the day you move into the property – your deposit must then be lodged in a tenancy deposit scheme. This means that when you leave the property your deposit will be returned in full if the property is left in good condition and all rent and bills have been paid.

Many organisations provide homes for mid-market rent. These homes are aimed at helping people on low to modest incomes to access affordable, private rented accommodation. There are several ways of finding where these homes are, but the best is probably to look at what housing associations operate in your area or to check your local council's website.

Comprehensive information for tenants about private renting in Scotland can be found in the 'Private residential tenancies: tenant's guide' at /publications/private-residential-tenancies-tenants-guide/

Housing associations and many local councils provide homes for social rent. When you apply for a social rented home, your housing needs will be checked and your application will be held on a housing list. Social landlords decide who is offered housing based on an applicant's housing need and in line with the landlord's allocation policy. You can find information about how to apply for social housing from local councils. Alternatively, you can apply directly to a housing association – the Scottish Housing Regulator maintains the public register of all Registered Social Landlords in Scotland.

For more information about renting a home in Scotland visit www.mygov.scot/housing-local-services/renting-property/

The Scottish Government offers people living in Scotland and in receipt of the UK Government Universal Credit (UC) the choice to have the housing costs in their UC award paid direct to their landlord.

An information leaflet for people applying for, or in receipt of, UC is on the Scottish Government website at /publications/universal-credit-applicant-information/Universal%20Credit%20Online%20Question%20and%20Answer.pdf?inline=true