Choosing a successor

When you are ready to pass on your croft, you should talk to the person you have in mind. Make sure they understand and want to take on the duties of a crofter.

If you don't have anyone in mind, the Scottish Land Matching Service can help. You can find people who are looking for crofting opportunities, or you can register your croft as an opportunity for aspiring crofters.

Houses and homes

The status of your croft house is important. To check its status, you can look up your croft on the register of crofts.

• Decrofted house: If your house has been decrofted (removed from the croft), any changes you make to the croft will not affect the house.
• House is part of the croft: If the house is not decrofted, any changes you make to the croft will also affect the house.

If you want to pass on the croft but keep the house, you may need to decroft it first. If you want to pass on the croft and the house but continue living there for the rest of your life, a solicitor can set up a life rental agreement.

Dividing your croft

You can choose to divide your croft into smaller parts before you pass it on. This can be useful if you have more than one person you want to leave the land to. However, a croft can only be assigned to one person. The process for division varies depending on your croft's status.

Other important considerations

Croft registration: You can voluntarily register your croft with Registers of Scotland. This is based on a map of your croft and involves a fee. This is helpful for keeping records up to date.

Power of attorney: Creating a power of attorney allows someone you trust to manage your affairs. This can give you peace of mind and ensure your croft is looked after if you are no longer able to.

Subletting: If you are a tenant crofter, you can apply to allow someone else to work your croft for a specific period. This can be a good way to give a future successor some experience or ensure the croft is being worked if your successor is not yet ready to take over.

Short-term let: If you are an owner-occupier crofter, you can let your croft to a tenant for a period of up to 10 years.