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Recent changes

Legal changes affecting contracts under Scots law, and how we have reflected them in the app and these guides. Most recent first.

Housing (Scotland) Act 2025: succession and wrongful termination

Changes to tenant succession and higher wrongful-termination awards for Private Residential Tenancies take effect for events on or after 6 October 2026. Our Scottish residential drafting notes them.

Housing (Scotland) Act 2025: rent control framework

From 1 April 2026 the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 let Scottish Ministers assess rent conditions and designate rent control areas. The limit on rent increases for Private Residential Tenancies applies only to rent increase notices given on or after 1 April 2027; until then rent increases follow the existing statutory notice procedure, which our drafting describes rather than overrides. The new tenant rights over pets and changes to the let property are not yet in force.

Failure to prevent fraud offence

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 created a UK-wide corporate offence of failing to prevent fraud, in force from 1 September 2025.

Data (Use and Access) Act 2025

This UK-wide Act amends the data protection framework in stages. Contracts involving personal data should continue to meet the UK GDPR.

Moveable Transactions (Scotland) Act 2023 in force

The Act introduced a register of assigned claims and a new statutory pledge, making it easier to assign debts and take security over moveable property in Scotland.

Last updated 2026-11-09.