Advice for landlords on preparing their Annual Assurance Statement 2026
Dear colleague,
I am writing to provide advice on preparation of your next Annual Assurance Statement which you are due to submit to us by 31 October 2026.
In February 2024 we published revised guidance to support landlords when they are completing the Annual Assurance Statement. This guidance explains we may ask landlords to provide specific assurance on a particular issue in the Annual Assurance Statement.
This year, we are asking landlords to provide specific assurance on two areas:
- Data on homes.
- Compliance with the Scottish Government’s minimum site standards for Gypsy/Traveller sites.
Landlords having good quality data on their homes is essential for providing assurance about tenant and resident safety and for financial planning. We are therefore asking all landlords to confirm in the Annual Assurance Statement to be submitted this year that they have comprehensive, good quality and up to date information on the construction, components and condition of their homes. If landlords don’t have this information in place they should confirm they have plans in place to develop this information and when they anticipate having it in place.
The SFHA Self Assurance Toolkit may provide you with advice on assurance processes in relation to having good quality data on your homes.
Those landlords who provide sites for Gypsy/Travellers should also provide us with specific assurance that their sites comply with the Scottish Government’s minimum site standards for Gypsy/Traveller sites in their next Annual Assurance Statement.
In 2025 we carried out a programme of visits to landlords to discuss their Annual Assurance Statements. During the visits we asked how landlords had assured themselves about compliance with their duties in relation to tenant and resident safety and, for Registered Social Landlords, their approach to monitoring and reporting on compliance with their financial covenants. We published a report on the findings from the Annual Assurance Statement visits to share lessons learned. You may wish to refer to this report and our previous reports from our Annual Assurance Statement visits when you are completing your next Annual Assurance Statement.
I hope you find this information helpful. If you have any questions about your Annual Assurance Statement, please contact your Engagement Plan lead officer.
Best wishes
Michael Cameron
Chief Executive