The controversial proposal for permanent rent controls in Scotland, published just ahead of the Easter holiday, doesn’t go far enough for activists in Generation Rent.
The Scottish Government’s Housing Bill allows SNP and Green politicians to create rent control areas, triggered by local authorities, and this would allow the politicians to cap the amount tenants pay - irrespective of landlords’ wishes and expenditure.
The Housing (Scotland) Bill, published late last week, will place a duty on local councils to carry out assessments within their areas on the state of the private rented sector, making recommendations to ministers about the imposition of rent controls.
The Bill does not specify particular controls which could be placed on landlords, but it does state rises would be capped during and in between tenancies.
If passed, the Bill also imposes a duty on first-tier tribunal and the sheriff court to consider the timing of any notice to evict, to ensure tenants are not asked to leave their home to “reduce, as far as possible, the negative impact of eviction at a time of greater stress resulting from additional pressures or individual circumstances”, according to the legislation small print.
But while landlord groups and letting agents are angry at the proposal, the activist group Generation Rent actually thinks there are loopholes which should be tightened up.
Ben Twomey, chief executive of Generation Rent, says: “The proposed system has the potential to improve the tenant experience in Scotland but it needs to be designed well, so it can be implemented and enforced effectively. As it stands the local nature of the regulation could lead to tenants outside of rent control areas facing unaffordable rent increases.
“It will also take some time for the changes to come into force, with local assessments and consultations needed even after the Bill becomes law. In the meantime, tenants face rent increases of up to 12% even with the interim protections.”
Twomey concedes that the proposals are “another positive step forward for renters in Scotland.”
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Why anyone is still a landlord in Scotland is beyond me.
I have said the same on the article above this one 🤷♂️ I am really confused, they will have control of their assets removed from them 🆘
See my responses on the adjacent thread.
The more landlords who think that way and sell up, the higher market rents will rise and eventually, like has happened in other countries, market forces will eventually win out.
I've abandoned the family rental market, apart from one property where I have added two new rooms in a loft conversion for around £20k which will generate around £5k extra rent per annum and put it only within reach of more affluent families with solvent property owning guarantors.
One other suitable flat has become an HMO with an extra bedroom added by making an internal kitchen for around £8k, which will pay for itself in under a year, ignoring tax payments and additional capital growth.
There is still a healthy living to be made as a Scottish landlord, but NOT by renting average properties to average families.
Such properties , which tend to be almost 100% utilised as prs properties will become owner occupied with average utilisation of 68%. How does this help any housing crisis?
Why anyone is still in Scotland at all is beyond me!
I tried living in the south of England over 50 years ago as a young "high flyer" graduate management trainee but hated it and moved back to Scotland after around 2 years in the corporate rat race.
I've never regretted it, despite being one of the 11% of Scottish taxpayers who pay 89% of the tax.
Given there's 89% of Scots only paying 11% of the tax, it's little wonder so many low or non taxpayers vote for the parties rewarding indolence and ignorance.
God help the rest of the UK if Labour catch on to this vote winning formula.
If passed, the Bill also imposes a duty on first-tier tribunal and the sheriff court to consider the timing of any notice to evict, to ensure tenants are not asked to leave their home to “reduce, as far as possible, the negative impact of eviction at a time of greater stress resulting from additional pressures or individual circumstances”, according to the legislation small print.
In other words claim any form of stress like illness. death, even exam stress and the eviction will be delayed. Generation RANT will not be happy until ALL control passes from the property OWNER to the tenant.
So for all the changes have resulted in the tenants losing out. The lunitics in government have made rents go up and landlords selling up.
Result over twenty people going for each rental.
In London rents have doubled due a a shortage of rental properties . It's madness.!!!
So for all the changes have resulted in the tenants losing out. The lunitics in government have made rents go up and landlords selling up.
Result over twenty people going for each rental.
In London rents have doubled due a a shortage of rental properties . It's madness.!!!
The Landlord/Tenant situation has worked pretty much ok for hundreds of years and arguably even better following the 1988 Act.
But ever since the Governments and Local Authorities decided they wanted to get more involved and saw Landlords and ultimately Tenants as cash cows everyone is worse off.
Under the 1988 Act the LA's already had enough powers to deal with Rogue Landlords. What was lacking, and is still lacking, is the legislation to deal with Rogue Tenants. In fact they are ALWAYS against Landlords and on the side of Tenants because the LA's don't have properties to put errant tenants in.
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