Structure and Summary of the Act Writing not required to constitute private residential tenancy
10.Under the Requirements of Writing (Scotland) Act 1995, a written document is required to constitute certain tenancies. Section 3 displaces this rule, meaning that a private residential tenancy can arise from an oral agreement to create a tenancy.
11.Although writing is not required in order to bring a private residential tenancy into existence, once a tenancy becomes a private residential tenancy, section 10 of the Act will apply to the tenancy. Section 10 places landlords under a duty to provide written terms of the tenancy if all of the terms of the tenancy have not already been set out in writing.
12.Relatedly, paragraph 6 of schedule 4 amends the Requirements of Writing Act so that an agreement to transfer, vary or extinguish a private residential tenancy does not need to be in writing (although, by virtue of Part 5, certain notices to terminate must be in writing).