- Published date:
- 20 October 2026
Real Estate:Scotland has responded to the Scottish Government’s consultation on when and how students may end tenancies in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), under section 45 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025.
The response draws on the views of our PBSA Working Group. RES broadly supports a narrow, clearly defined list of circumstances in which students facing genuine difficulty can end their tenancy. We welcome the Government’s recognition that a right to end a tenancy “for any or no reason” would affect investment, create voids and put upward pressure on rents.
Our key recommendations are:
- universities and colleges should be the main source of evidence, so that students’ sensitive personal information stays with institutional welfare services
- several circumstances need tighter definitions, particularly the national emergency and cessation of teaching ground
- the 28-day notice process needs a clear timeline
- the Scottish Government should adopt Accreditation Network UK (ANUK) and the National Code as the established framework for PBSA in Scotland, amended as required to reflect Scottish legal and regulatory requirements, including for independent review of challenges
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