2016 No. 412 (C. 42)
Housing

The Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 (Commencement No. 6 and Transitional Provision) Order 2016

Made
Laid before the Scottish Parliament
Coming into force
The Scottish Ministers make the following Order in exercise of the powers conferred by section 104(3) and (5) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 20141 and all other powers enabling them to do so.

Citation, commencement and interpretation1.

(1)

This Order may be cited as the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 (Commencement No. 6 and Transitional Provision) Order 2016 and comes into force on 23rd December 2016.

(2)

In this Order “the Act” means the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014.

Appointed days2.

The day appointed for the coming into force of the provisions of the Act specified in column 1 of the schedule (the subject matter of which is described in column 2 of the schedule) is specified in column 3 of the schedule.

Transitional provision3.

(1)

Despite the commencement of section 44 (offence of operating as a letting agent without registration) of the Act, it is not an offence under subsection (1) of that section for a person who is not a registered letting agent to carry out letting agency work if—

(a)

the person has, before 31st September 2018, made an application under section 30 of the Act, to be entered in the register; and

(b)

the application has not yet been finally determined.

(2)

For the purpose of paragraph (1)(b), an application is finally determined when—

(a)

the applicant is entered in the register;

(b)

it is withdrawn; or

(c)

it is refused and either—

(i)

the time limit for appeal against refusal expires without an appeal having been made; or

(ii)

an appeal against refusal is dismissed or abandoned.

KEVIN STEWART
Authorised to sign by the Scottish Ministers

St Andrew’s House,

Edinburgh

SCHEDULE

Article 2

Column 1

Provisions of the Act

Column 2

Subject-matter

Column 3

Appointed day

Section 63

Licensing of sites for permanent residents

1st May 2017

Section 64 (insofar as not already in force)

Relevant permanent site application

1st May 2017

Section 65 (insofar as not already in force)

Issue, renewal, transfer and transmission of a Part 1A site licence

1st May 2017

Section 66

Duration of a Part 1A site licence

1st May 2017

Section 67

Duty to inform local authority where change

1st May 2017

Section 68

Revocation of a Part 1A site licence: fit and proper person

1st May 2017

Section 69

Appeals relating to a Part 1A site licence

1st May 2017

Section 71

Fit and proper person considerations

1st May 2017

Section 72

Fit and proper person: criminal conviction certificate

1st May 2017

Section 73

Fit and proper person: information sharing

1st May 2017

Section 74

Offences relating to relevant permanent sites

1st May 2017

Section 75

Improvement notices

1st May 2017

Section 76

Penalty notices

1st May 2017

Section 77 (insofar as not already in force)

Appointment of interim manager

1st May 2017

Section 78

Emergency action

1st May 2017

Section 79

Powers of entry

1st May 2017

Section 80

Recovery of inspection and enforcement expenses

1st May 2017

Section 81

Offences by bodies corporate etc. under Part 1A of the 1960 Act

1st May 2017

Section 83

Transitional provision for existing site licences

1st May 2017

Section 84

Agreements to which the Mobile Homes Act 1983 applies

1st May 2017

Section 29 (insofar as not already in force)

Register of letting agents

31st January 2018

Section 30 (insofar as not already in force)

Application for registration

31st January 2018

Section 31

Offence of providing false information in an application

31st January 2018

Section 32 (insofar as not already in force)

Decision on application

31st January 2018

Section 33

Time limit for determining application

31st January 2018

Section 34

Fit and proper person considerations

31st January 2018

Section 35

Fit and proper person: criminal record information

31st January 2018

Section 36

Letting agent registration number

31st January 2018

Section 37

Duty to inform: change of circumstances

31st January 2018

Section 38

Duration of registration

31st January 2018

Section 39

Revocation of registration

31st January 2018

Section 40

Removal from register on application

31st January 2018

Section 41

Appeals

31st January 2018

Section 42

Note on register where refusal or removal

31st January 2018

Section 43

No payment for letting agency work refusal or removal

31st January 2018

Section 45

Offence of using a registration number where no registration

31st January 2018

Section 47

Prohibition on contracting out

31st January 2018

Section 48

Applications to First-tier Tribunal to enforce code of practice

31st January 2018

Section 49

Variation and revocation of enforcement orders

31st January 2018

Section 50

Failure to comply with enforcement order

31st January 2018

Section 51

Enforcement orders: offence

31st January 2018

Section 52 (insofar as not already in force)

Power to obtain information

31st January 2018

Section 53

Power to carry out inspections

31st January 2018

Section 54

Warrants for entry

31st January 2018

Section 55

Inspections: supplemental

31st January 2018

Section 56

Information and inspection: offence

31st January 2018

Section 57

Transfer of jurisdiction of actions involving letting agents

31st January 2018

Section 58

Offences by bodies corporate etc.

31st January 2018

Section 59

Delegation of functions relating to the register

31st January 2018

Section 60

Landlord registration where agent is a registered letting agent

31st January 2018

Section 62 (insofar as not already in force)

Interpretation of Part 4

31st January 2018

Section 44

Offence of operating as a letting agent without registration

31st September 2018

EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order brings into force various provisions of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 (“the Act”).

Article 2 and the schedule appoint 1st May 2017 for the commencement of the remaining provisions in Part 5 (mobile home sites with permanent residents) of the Act.

31st January 2018 is the day appointed for the coming into force of the majority of the provisions in Part 4 (letting agents) of the Act.

Section 44 (offence of operating as a letting agent without registration) of the Act will come into force on 31st September 2018 which gives a period of 8 months from the date the register of letting agents is established before that offence provision is in force. Article 3 ensures that the offence provision will not apply if by that date an application has been made but has not been finally determined.

Sections 100, 101, 102, 104 and 105 of the Act come into force on the day the Bill for the Act received Royal Assent: 1st August 2014

NOTE AS TO EARLIER COMMENCEMENT ORDERS
(This note is not part of the Order)

The following provisions of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 have been brought into force by commencement orders made before the date of this Order.

Table 1

Provision of the Act

Date of Commencement

S.S.I.No.

Section 1(1)

1st August 2016

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 1(2)

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/164

Section 1(3) (partially)

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 1(3) (remainder)

1st July 2017

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 2

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 4(2) (partially)

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 6(2) (partially)

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 7(1)(b)

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 14(1)

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 20

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 22

1st December 2015

S.S.I. 2015/272

Section 23(1)

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 23 (remainder)

1st December 2015

S.S.I. 2015/272

Section 24

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 25(1)(a) (partially), (1)(b) to (e) and (2) to (11)

1st December 2015

S.S.I. 2015/349

Section 25(1)(a) (partially)

1st April 2016

S.S.I. 2015/349

Section 25(1)(a) (remainder)

1st June 2016

S.S.I. 2015/349

Section 26(7)

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Sections 26 (remainder) and 27

1st December 2015

S.S.I. 2015/272

Section 28

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 29(2)(b) (partially)

2nd February 2016

S.S.I. 2015/430

Section 30(2)(f) (partially)

2nd February 2016

S.S.I. 2015/430

Section 32(2)(c) (partially)

2nd February 2016

S.S.I. 2015/430

Section 46

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 52(2) (partially)

2nd February 2016

S.S.I. 2015/430

Section 61

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 62 (partially)

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Sections 64 and 65 (partially)

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 70

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 77 (partially)

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 82

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 85(3) and (4)

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 85 (remainder)

1st April 2015

S.S.I. 2015/122

Section 86(1) (partially)

13th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 86(2) (partially)

13th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 86 (remainder)

16th December 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Sections 87 and 88

1st April 2015

S.S.I. 2015/122

Section 89

13th July 2015

S.S.I. 2015/272

Sections 90 to 92

1st April 2015

S.S.I. 2015/122

Sections 94 to 96

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 97 (partially)

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 97 (remainder)

31st August 2015

S.S.I. 2015/272

Section 98

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 103 (partially)

20th November 2014

S.S.I. 2014/264

Section 103 (partially)

1st August 2016

S.S.I. 2014/264

Schedule 2 (partially)

1st August 2016

S.S.I. 2014/264