Tenant Advice

Advice for renters in Edinburgh

To help you navigate the rental process in Edinburgh, we provide answers to common questions below.

How do I find new flats and houses to rent in Edinburgh?

When you’re looking for a new property to rent, it’s best to start by searching on websites that advertise lots of different rental properties like ESPC. If you see one you like, you should submit an enquiry as quickly as possible to register your interest. You can also register with My ESPC to get email property alerts about new rental properties coming to market.

Search rental flats and houses in Edinburgh.

How does the process of renting a property through ESPC Lettings work?

The process of renting a property through ESPC Lettings is very simple and our expert team will help you with every step.

1. Submit an enquiry on the rental property you are interested in.
2. We’ll be in touch to arrange a viewing.
3. If you’re interested in renting, we will need you to complete an application.
4. We will check the relevant references for you.
5. All being well, we’ll be in touch to arrange your deposit payment, move-in date and key collection.

What is a private residential tenancy?

Private residential tenancies were adopted in Scotland on 1st December 2017. This brought in some changes compared to the short assured tenancies, including:

• Private residential tenancies are open-ended, so your landlord can’t ask you to leave because you’ve been there for six months as was the case with short-assured tenancies.
• Your rent can only be increased once every year, with a three month notice period.
• The notice to quit process has been replaced by a simpler notice to leave process.

What checks are done for renting in Scotland?

Your letting agent or landlord will generally carry out some reference checks before allowing you to rent a property in Scotland. These include:

• Credit rating
• Adverse credit check
• Affordability check
• Current landlord reference
• Employment reference

What is the minimum rental period in Scotland?

For short assured tenancies, there was a minimum rental period of six months but there is no minimum period with private residential tenancies.

If I rent a property through ESPC Lettings, what happens if something breaks or stops working?

If you encounter a maintenance problem in your property, we have a maintenance team who will arrange for a contractor to visit your property to fix the problem.

For emergency problems which can’t wait until the next working day, we also have an out-of-hours service. We will provide you with all the relevant contact details when you move into the property.

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We are members of Money Shield, you can find out more information about them here. 

Scottish Letting Agent Register
ESPC (UK) Ltd - LARN1904080

ESPC Lettings are accredited with Landlord Accreditation Scotland.

ESPC Lettings are a member of Propertymark, a client money protection provider. Further details on their conduct and membership rules can be found here.