Structure of the Act Limitation on right to buy: new tenants
162.Section 141 inserts a new section 61ZA into the 1987 Act to extend the range of circumstances under which the right to buy cannot be exercised to include new tenants to the social housing sector. This is intended to ensure that tenants taking up a Scottish secure tenancy for the first time (following commencement of section 141) and those returning to the social rented sector after a break will not have the right to buy over any property they rent from a social landlord.
163.Subsection (1) of new section 61ZA sets out the tenancies which are not included in this limitation. These are tenancies of properties let under a Scottish secure tenancy created on or after the commencement date of section 141 of the Act, where the tenant has since that date continuously been occupying a house let by a social landlord or a landlord mentioned in section 61(11), or occupying living accommodation provided as mentioned in section 61(11)(ab), (ac) or (n).
164.Subsection (2) sets out the circumstances where an interruption in continuous occupation should be disregarded (where a tenant’s tenancy has been terminated under section 18(2), 20(3) or 22(3) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 and the tenant is then re-accommodated in pursuance of section 19(3)(b), 21(3)(b) or 22(6) of that Act) and also provides discretion for a landlord to disregard an interruption in occupation, where it appears to the landlord to result from circumstances outwith the control of the tenant.