Welcome to our Private Sector What's New page which:

• highlights recent and forthcoming changes within the sector
• highlights services we provide
• promotes promoting good practice 

The findings webinar planned for Thursday 27 November 2025 has been cancelled due to low numbers.

We plan to reschedule this webinar in 2026, when it will offer a comparison between the results of Wave 1 and 2.

We hope to add event booking information by Spring 2026.

Free Webinar: 2 December 2025 at 1pm and 6pm

Preparing for Change: Energy Efficiency Standards & Support for Private Sector Landlords

Home Energy Scotland are hosting two webinar sessions on Tuesday 2/12/25 at 1pm and 6pm. Aimed at private sector landlords, letting agents and estate agents, the webinar will cover:

• Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards: Private Rented Sector, including the latest updates on the proposed regulations
• EPC Reform
• Advice and Support available
• Funding options to help landlords make the necessary improvements

There will also be a Question and Answer session at the end.

You can register for this Webinar registration by visiting the dot digital page.

Under One Roof, in conjunction with the Falkirk Council, are hosting a Retrofitting Webinar on Wednesday 18 February 2026, noon to 1pm. This webinar is open to homeowners, landlords and letting agents across the Falkirk area and is free to attend.

Agenda and event booking information will be added early 2026.

Our first Renting Private in Falkirk newsletter is now live. This newsletter is aimed at all private sector tenants across Falkirk and hopes to raise awareness about:

• things you should know when renting privately
• your rights and protections
• help available
• where to get information support and advice

You can access the newsletter on our Renting Privately in Falkirk page.

The seventh edition of our Landlord and Letting Agents Newsletter, Renting Matters in Falkirk, is now available.

A recording of the Webinar is available on YouTube.

Funding is now available, through the ECO4 and GBIS Flex programmes, to help families save money on energy bills and make their homes warmer and more energy efficient.

Assistance is available to homeowners and private sector tenants (with their landlord’s permission), who are on low incomes (< £31,000) or, who may get sick easily if their homes are too cold.

Please see our Easy Guide to ECO4 and GBIS Flex page for eligibility information and how to apply. 

Home Energy Scotland offers free and impartial energy advice and provides information on available grants and loans to reduce your energy bills and make your home warmer. Assistance can be accessed by Homeowners, Private Tenants and Private Landlords.

For more information visit the Home Energy Scotland website or call on 0808 808 2282

The Housing (Scotland) Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament by the Scottish Government on 26 March 2024. The bill covers Rent Control, Evictions, Keeping Pets and making changes to let Property, Other Matters relating to Tenants, Homelessness Prevention and Other Housing Matters.

Information on the bill as introduced and changes made during stage 1, 2 and 3 can be found at: Housing (Scotland) Bill | Scottish Parliament Website

Stage 3 ended on 30/9/25. The Scottish Parliament decided to pass the Bill. The Bill will now be sent for Royal Assent: this is when the bill gets formal agreement by the King and becomes an act of the Scottish Parliament. The Act will then be available at: www.legislation.gov.uk

This scheme aims to help first time buyers and certain priority groups access home ownership. This scheme is administered by Link Housing Association on behalf of the Scottish Government. Information on eligible groups, available funding and how to apply can be accessed at LIFT Open Market Shared Equity.

Information on Renting Privately is available at Private housing: Renting privately: what you should know.

Our Private housing: Financial and practical support page provides information on a wide range of available support.

If you are trying to secure a private rented property in the Falkirk area but are on a low income and unable to raise the deposit yourself, the Rent Deposit Assistance Scheme may be able to help. 

Please see our Housing options: Rent Deposit Assistance Scheme page for further information.

The Private Sector Team are increasing the information provided to and working towards increasing its' engagement with private sector tenants across Falkirk.

If you want to stay informed about changes and developments within the sector as well as future private rented engagement opportunities. Please sign up to our engagement database by emailing privatesector.housing@falkirk.gov.uk: please tell us your name, postal address and email address.

All active engagement opportunities will be shared through Participate+, Falkirk Council's new online platform. For further information about the platform and how to register, please see Consultations and surveys.

Under One Roof are a charity who provide free and impartial, online and interactive information about common repairs and tenement maintenance: helping private flat owners understand their rights and responsibilities to manage their building. Please see Private housing: Under One Roof for more information.

An app designed to help owners repair and maintain the common areas of their block is now available across Falkirk. For more information please see our Private housing: Novoville Shared Repairs app.

Our Help maintaining, adapting or repairing your home: Scheme of Assistance outlines who can access assistance and what assistance is available to maintain, repair and adapt your home.

We are currently undertaking a review of the Property Conditions Assistance. Any changes made will be updated on our Help maintaining, adapting or repairing your home: Scheme of Assistance page.

This draft Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard in the Private Rented Sector consultation closed on 29 August 2025 and sought views from stakeholders on the proposed regulations, introduction date, compliance dates as well as changes to the Energy Act 2011.

The consultation was aimed at anyone with an interest in these proposals, tenants, landlords', suppliers, others. You can still access the consultation documents at: Draft Energy Efficiency (Domestic Private Rented Property) (Scotland) Regulations.

This scoping consultation closed on 29 August 2025 and shared high-level proposals for a Heat and Energy Efficiency Technical Suitability Assessment (HEETSA).

The consultation sought evidence and views from stakeholders on the HEETSA proposals, including the delivery model and legal basis, assessor qualifications and independence, its relationship with the revised EPC and how it relates to other parts of heat and energy retrofitting. You can still access the consultation documents at: Heat and Energy Efficiency Technical Suitability Assessment (HEETSA).

The Scottish Law Commission released a discussion paper in April 2024 which set out provisional proposals for the introduction of Compulsory Owners Associations. These proposals follow on from the recommendations of the Scottish Parliament's Tenement Maintenance Cross-Party Working Group.

The consultation closed on 01 August 2024. Background information and next steps information are available on the Scottish Law Commission's website. The recording of the webinar held on 09 May 2024 can be accessed on the Scottish Law Commission's YouTube channel. 

The Code of Conduct for Property Factors sets out minimum standards of practice for registered property factors.  A revised Code of Conduct, approved by the Scottish Parliament came into effect on 16 August 2021. Please see our Private housing: Factoring page for further information.

The Fire safety standard in Scotland has changed. Every home in Scotland must now meet the "Tolerable Standard", by having interlinked smoke and heat detectors. Carbon monoxide detectors will also be required if you have carbon-fuelled appliances in the property.

Information on the new standard is detailed in the Scottish Government Fire and smoke alarms: changes to the law fact sheet. 

All homeowners are responsible for ensuring that their property meets this requirement. 

In March 2021, the Scottish Government published its first long-term national housing strategy: Housing to 2040. This strategy sets out a vision for housing in Scotland and a route map to get there. 

Rent Service Scotland collects rental information from a wide variety of sources contributing to a data set which is used to produce statistics for the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The information is also used to set levels of Local Housing Allowance, Universal Credit, valuations for Housing Benefit, registered rents, rent adjudications and Rent Pressure Zones.

If you can share rental information, please download the Market Evidence Form and return it to us. The information will be held securely in the Rent Service Scotland database and held in line with the current retention policies. Contact details are: 

Updated Repairing Standard guidance was published by the Scottish Government in January 2024. The guidance applies to all tenancies required to meet the Repairing Standard. It outlines the new measures which came into effect on 01 March 2024 (see below) and provides full details of how to comply with the Repairing Standard.

New measures: 

• Safe kitchens
• Fixed heating systems
• Safe access to common parts
• Consent to work on common parts
• Safe and secure common doors
• Residual current devices
• Lead pipes 
• Other fuels