Private Sector Housing
Please note that these pages are currently under review.
Advice for private tenants, homeowners, landlords and letting agents
Moray Councils Environmental Health Private Sector Housing team offers advice and information to anyone living with, or affected by, private sector housing issues. You can contact the team here If you currently rent from or are looking to apply for Council or registered social landlord property, please follow this link
Information available for private sector tenants and landlords includes:
Private sector tenants |
| Landlord Registration |
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'Private rented housing' means housing that is owned by a private individual, company or organisation, including some charities. Private rented housing plays an important role in providing accommodation for all sorts of different households. If you rent your home from a private landlord, we can offer a range of support and information including the repairing standard, rent deposit schemes and support when things go wrong. |
| Becoming a landlord and renting out your property can be very complex. There are certain things that by law you must do. If you own a property that you rent out, you can get more information on your responsibilities on our landlord pages . Tenants and neighbours can report unregistered landlords by xxxxx. |
Letting Agents |
| Housing and Homelessness |
If you are a letting agent, or if you are a private landlord using an agent; It is important to understand that it is a requirement in law for agents to be registered on the Scottish Letting Agent Register Scottish Government have produced a useful overview of the legislation around the registration of agents which includes (but isn’t limited to) information about who needs to register and what to do before you register. |
| Moray Councils Housing Options Team can offer you advice if you need housing support or are faced with homelessness. You can also find free and impartial housing support at Shelter Scotland You can also book a fire home safety from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service |
Houses in multiple occupation (HMO) |
| Empty Homes |
Information and advice for owners, or potential owners of an HMO, including help with registration and complying with property standards. We also offer support and advice to tenants in an HMO and have a reporting function for tenants and neighbours to report suspected unregistered HMO properties. |
| Advice, support and information to owners of and neighbours to, private sector empty property. You can also report empty homes in your neighbourhood here . |
Disability adaptions and Repair grants |
| Common Repairs |
Moray Council can offer advice, information and practical assistance to owner occupiers and in some cases, private tenants, which may include financial assistance in relation to adapting your home to meet the needs of a disabled occupant. In some cases, it can also help you to repair and maintain your home. The Home Improvement Team can be contacted here Moray Council operates a Scheme of Assistance which sets out what Moray Council will do to support owners in addressing housing issues |
| We understand that living in a flat, apartment block or tenement can sometimes raise concerns and issues about how to maintain communal areas and keep them in a good state of repair. You can discuss any issues you may be experiencing with the team but a good resource for common repairs is Under One Roof which includes information about working with your neighbours, dealing with owners who won’t pay and getting professional help |
Energy efficiency |
| Condensation |
There is a range of advice, information and funding available to tenants, owners and landlords. It is expected that, over time, there will be a range of measures made available to help Scotland and Moray meet their ambitious carbon-neutral targets and it is worth keeping an eye on this page for updates |
| If your privately owned home is suffering from damp and condensation, please contact the team for advice and guidance, including help with identifying the types of damp which may be affecting your home and possible treatment options. If you are a private tenant, and your property is suffering from damp, it may be that your property fails the Repairing Standard and it is important that you call the team to discuss any problems you may be experiencing. Homeowners and tenants can also access useful information about damp and condensation from the Energy Savings Trust . |
Tolerable standard |
| Support from external agencies and services |
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| To help support you, we have provided a range of links below that you may find useful. Please note, many of these links will take you to external services and agencies and are entirely independent of Moray Council. |
Legal and financial |
| Police Scotland and serious organised crime |
Legal and financial assistance can be obtained through the following organisations;
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| Certain business sectors are particularly appealing to serious organised crime groups with the property rental sector being one of them. Police Scotland also have some important pages about serious organised crime which affects every community, whether it is visible or not. Operation Thero is Police Scotland’s overarching investigation into the property rental and development sector targeting businesses with links to Organised Crime. The purpose is to help raise awareness and they have produced some leaflets which offer advice and information. |
Antisocial behaviour |
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If you affected by antisocial behaviour, you can seek advice from, or report the matter to Moray Councils antisocial behaviour team. |
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