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 

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 and how to apply is available at LIFT Open Market Shared Equity.

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

Our Help maintaining, adapting or repairing your home: Scheme of Assistance - Falkirk Council 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 - Falkirk Council page. 

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

Information on Renting Privately is available at Private housing: Renting privately: what you should know - Falkirk Council

Our Private housing: Financial and practical support - Falkirk Council 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 - Falkirk Council 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, email address and phone number.

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 - Falkirk Council 

The Housing (Scotland) Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament by the Scottish Government on 26 March 2024. The Bill (as introduced), Explanatory Notes as well as progress are available to view on the Scottish Parliament's website. 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.

The Call for Views on the bill closed on Friday 24 May 2024: published responses can be accessed at Housing (Scotland) Bill Call for Views. 

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 - Falkirk Council 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 - Falkirk Council  

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 - Falkirk Council 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 attached and return 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 coming into effect on 01 March 20/24 (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 and Other Fuels.