‘Secure tenancies’ are council tenancies or housing association tenancies, i.e. only a ‘Registered Social Landlord’ may offer them to tenants, and indeed, generally speaking, they are the only type of tenancy that a Registered Social Landlord may offer.

They are regulated by statute, mainly the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 and a series of government regulations.

A landlord wishing to repossess residential premises let under a Secure Tenancy usually requires to apply to court for an eviction order or ‘decree’.

Occasionally a lanldord may repossess without such an order, e.g. by using the Abandonment Procedure instead, or where the tenant voluntarily consents to flit the premises.