Houses To Rent (or ‘to let’)

If you want to rent a house you can choose:

 

Aberdeenshire Council and Aberdeen City Council

To apply for a house you must fill in an application form and wait until a house becomes available.

Waiting times are long. Sometimes you may have to wait for years, depending on your priority.

If you are homeless, go to your local Council Housing Office for advice.

 

Housing Associations/Co-operatives

There are eight Housing Associations/Co-operatives in the Aberdeen area. Housing Associations and Co-operatives (sometimes called ‘Registered Social Landlords’ or RSLs) offer houses for rent at low cost. Houses are allocated on a ‘priority basis’.

Waiting times are long, sometimes you may have to wait for years, depending on your priority. Properties are unfurnished.

Some of the landlords (above) provide information and advice in other languages or can use a translation and interpreting service.

Read more

When you apply

If you, or anybody to be housed with you, have health problems which are made worse by your present housing situation, you can also complete a medical priority claim form.

When you apply for a house you can get information on how your application is assessed. It is important to understand how the system works before filling in your application.

If you need help with the form, ask for help from that housing provider, or the ethnic minority housing worker.

How Your Application gets priority with Councils and Housing Associations

Your housing application is assessed and the landlords will decide on your priority on their individual application lists. This is to make sure that the people in most need are housed the soonest.

Very many people apply for Council and Housing Association/Co-operative housing.

The greater your housing need, the greater chance there is of being offered a house.

Some examples of high priority

  • Homeless
  • A low household income in relation to the rent you are paying for your present property
  • You are living in a very overcrowded situation
  • You do not have a kitchen, bathroom, living room, or hot and cold water for your own use

Once you have filled in the application forms, make sure you let all the organisations know if you change your address or your phone number; or any other changes to your application(s).

Private Landlords

Renting from a Private Landlord offers you a lot of choice, but it is usually more expensive than renting from the Council or from a Housing Association.

Most properties are furnished. Check this in the advert.

How To Find Private Rented Housing

You can find out about private rents:

Paying Rent

Shelter Scotland - Advice on Paying Rent

Rent Deposit

A Private Landlord will usually ask you for one month's rent in advance before you can move into the property.

The landlord may also ask you for a deposit in case you damage the furnishings. The deposit is usually the same amount as a months rent.

Before You Rent

Before you move into a private rented property, make sure that your landlord is registered. You can do this from Landlord Registration - Local Authority Contacts.

Make sure you sign a tenancy agreement and that you understand what you are signing. Ask for a translation if necessary, or contact the ethnic minority housing worker.

After you have signed the agreement and moved into the property, make sure you get receipts for any rent payments you make.

What are your rights and responsibilities as a private tenant?

Check out the links below:

Accessibility

Download and Install Browsealoud