Buy-to-let landlords could be banned from evicting private tenants in Scotland for up to six months if the Scottish government’s plans are approved due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Ministers want to make evictions illegal for everyone living in properties rented privately or social housing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said they will use emergency powers granted under the Coronavirus Bill to prevent people affected by the Coronavirus outbreak from losing their homes.
The Accountant in Bankruptcy agency has also suspended evictions for those involved in bankruptcy proceedings.
The UK government has already banned all evictions in England and Wales for a period of three months, although some analysts believe that this period could be extended.
In the Scottish Parliament yesterday, Campbell said: “There should be no eviction as a result of Covid-19.
“Our emergency legislation will have provisions to ensure there will be no evictions from the private rented sector or the social rented sector for six months.”
The First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, also supported proposed legislation to protect all types of tenants during the Covid-19 outbreak.
She commented: “Nobody should be evicted from their home as a result of this crisis and I will make that clear at every opportunity.
“We’ve already indicated a legislative change we will make to expand the three month period for which people can’t be evicted for rent arrears to six months.
“We will continue to look at how we give people additional security over and above that.”
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Tenants who are unable to pay their rent due to the virus should enable that landlord to hold his mortgage payment on that property, this should be part of the legislation.
A complete ban is totally unfair, tenants who can pay their rent but chose not to need to go ASAP .
The idiot Greens leader also wants to allow tenants to leave without notice. After all this is over we need to move to longer deposits to safeguard everyone.
They haven't got a clue what they are doing, there shouldn't be a 3 months ban either, what for ?, we all know it takes 6 to 9 months to get someone out at the best of times, that's always assuming we particularly wanted to, which we don't. When you give Tenants 3 months holiday do you really think they are going to catch-up later, well not a hope if they are 3 months ahead they will drag it out another couple and go. There is a glut of places to go to even before Corona. Plus the thousands of LL's that jumped Ship to Airbnb are coming back in their droves now that its collapsed with no Tourist / or Flights. Time to wake up to the real World, incidentally come back Paul all is forgiven.
Hi Michael, you're right.
One of my tenants has just sent me an email saying they're sorry but they're taking their 3 months rent-holiday (due to having lost their job) and after that they'll be unable to re-pay their 3 month debt they've incurred with me.
I understand we're supposed to be compassionate to these tenants, but if these plans to impose a 6 month ban to evict them becomes real, then that's really not bloody fair!!
Daniela
Did you not implore us to be sympathetic very recently? With some tenants, no good turn goes unpunished. We need to push for larger deposits to safeguard everyone in future.
@Robert Brown, I am very sympathetic that my tenant has lost his job and therefore not able to pay me rent anymore. He's a good bloke and I'm going to try my best to do something for him.
But excuse me for expressing my feelings - I am allowed to be pi**ed off with this government, aren't I? Thinking the government is being bloody unfair has nothing to do with my tenant losing his job.
And yes, I agree with you, I'm all for larger deposits.
Its a one way street.
They do not need to put a ban in place, anyone who has been through the useless HPC tribunal will realise that it will take around 9 months to get someone out anyway. Further, the tribunal is closed, do these folks not know that?
The process is too slow as it stands and needs to speed up.
I pity anyone who is experiencing ASB, this system is too slow for getting these people out
Another Scotgov failure to add the the huge list
But the evictions that were granted BEFORE this must be allowed to precede once this is over. We have a tenant who owes nearly a year in rent. The LL has tried to help but eventually had to go to court to get possession. This was granted - the Baliffs were due to go on 23rd March. The LL should not be made to suffer more unpaid rent after this crisis has passed as the reasons for the eviction had NOTHING to do with coronavirus.
Many people will now be covered by they’re employer or the governments 80% commitment so in these case there should be not reason not to at lease most of the rent
Anyone had much feedback from lenders on the mortgage holiday? Spoke to several lenders myself and they have said after the 3 months the payments then increase monthly, surely the 3 months missed should just be added to the end of your mortgage term.
You would hope Paul, but no it is all recalculated over the same term, and of course there is a little bit more interest to pay as a result, the holiday comes at a cost.
Us easy target landlords getting it again.
Something in there for everyone but us. What happens if we've worked all our life, invested everything in property and then get told we're not entitled to our income. What are we supposed to live off? Where's our government help?
If tenants can't pay and are not working during covid 19, then the government should pay housing benefit as they would in normal circumstances. We're not here to subsidize the government!
PRIVATE LANDLORDS A NATION OF HERO'S.
Housing millions of Renters in their hour of greatest need, at a time when they are not financially secure, and in the face of adversity.
@daniela provvedi
Larger deposits are all very well.
However you must be surely aware that NO LL in their right mind would take more than 2 month's rent as a deposit.
This because of the Premium Tenancy situation.
By taking more than 2 month's rent as deposit you will create a Premium Tenancy which gives all sorts of additional rights to the tenants.
For that reason alone I never took more than 2 months rent as a deposit even though 2 months is totally inadequate.
I agree with you that deposits should be far larger.
I would say 6 months as a maximum providing Premium Tenancy regulations were changed so that one wasn't created if only 6 months rent as deposit was taken.
In light of the effective RGI withdrawal a large deposit would be the only real facility that would protect the LL.
I also think it would improve tenant behaviour when they would have so much 'skin in the game'
Of course all this conjecture is wild fantasy!
It will never happen
OMG Paul. I think this is the first time ever that I agree with you!! LOL...
You're right, what I meant by a larger deposit was what we had a few months ago, ie 2 months rent. Six months would be pushing it I think. Thanks Paul.
I don't see why we can't have the situation where the tenants with the biggest deposits get first choice of the best flats. After all, better flats attract higher rents so it makes sense for tenants to prove they can afford them even if things get tough.
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