Find a Home

There are many advantages to renting from us:

• Affordable rent - we offer good quality homes to let at affordable rents and are committed to providing high quality services that meet the needs and expectations of our Tenants. Not only this, but you will also get 4 rent free weeks a year.

• No deposit to pay - you’ll have no admin fee, no bond and no deposit to pay.  Just bring your first week’s rent to your sign-up appointment.

• Range of properties - we provide over 5600 rented homes across the Scottish Borders and have around 450 homes becoming available to rent each year, with a mix of property type and size – ranging from studio flats to 5-bedroom houses.

• All of our properties will meet our lettable standard, which was developed with our Tenants. Lettable Standard

• We can offer secure, long-term tenancies - if you rent from us, you will normally have a secure tenancy which offers you strong occupancy rights, as well as rights to repair and to pass your tenancy on to other members of your household. In certain circumstances, we may offer a Short Scottish Secure Tenancy with more limited rights.

• You’ll have access to a 24-hour repairs and maintenance service - you can report emergency repairs 24/7 and we will arrive within 2 hours and make the emergency safe within 4 hours. For details of all the types of repairs we carry out and our timescales and service standards visit our Report a Repair page.

• Control over your accommodation - we strongly encourage our Tenants to be actively involved in the management of their homes and the shaping of our services. Our skilled and experienced Board of Management is democratically elected to run SBHA and we offer our Tenants the opportunity to become shareholding members of SBHA. Find out more about how you can get involved. 

• We're here to help - our specialist and highly trained staff offer you a variety of advice and support to help you manage your tenancy. Find out more here. They can also offer support with:
  - Housing options available to you in the Scottish Borders
  - Help to settle into you new home

• Our Pet Policy - we understand that having a pet can have huge benefits for your wellbeing. We also need to make sure that pets don’t disturb neighbours, and that there is adequate space for animals to be cared for in a home. For these reasons, we ask Tenants to apply to us for written permission to keep a pet.This includes domestic pets, exotic or caged animals, poultry, ducks, pigeons, rabbits, bees or other livestock or breeding animals. This policy also applies where a Tenant wishes to look after an animal for a limited period, for example while a relative is in hospital. In SBHA flats, only one pet is permitted.

  Dogs must be kept on a lead in communal areas at all times and not allowed outside the Tenant’s home unaccompanied. Pets are not allowed to cause noise nuisance, fouling or damage either within the tenancy, their neighbour’s property or the neighbourhood. The Tenant must ensure that any pet faeces or waste is cleaned up immediately. No litter trays are permitted in communal areas. Read our Pet Policy here.

When signing up for your tenancy, it’s important to bring your first payment with you (depending on how frequently you pay). This ensures everything is in order for a smooth start to your new home.

We take steps to ensure that your new home meets our Lettable Standard and your Neighbourhood Housing Officer will provide guidance and weekly updates on the progress.  The process to get your home ready includes:

1. Safety Checks: Ensuring the property meets all safety standards.
2. Repairs and Major Works: Addressing any necessary repairs or major works as specified by the Neighbourhood Property Officer.