An open letter has been sent by a range of left wing activist groups and trades unions to limit or even stop any exemptions being agreed to rent controls in Scotland. 

The letter was signed by major trade unions including the Scottish Trades Union Congress, UNISON Scotland, Unite Scotland, GMB, RMT Scotland, UCU Scotland, and PCS.

This is what it says: 

Dear First Minister John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary Màiri McAllan and Cabinet Secretary Shirley Anne Somerville,

We, the undersigned, represent a coalition of trade unions, charities, and community groups who stand in solidarity with Scotland’s tenants. We write to you with a clear and urgent message: the situation for renters in Scotland has reached a crisis point. Scotland is in the middle of a housing emergency, as recognised by the Government, with working-class people bearing the brunt.  At the same time, Scotland’s landlords and their lobbyists are working hard to water down rent controls and make them functionally useless. We need to see bold, urgent action from your Government now.

Across Scotland, rents are through the roof and the situation is worsening by the day. With each rent rise tenants’ quality of life decreases and your Government moves further away from its target of eradicating child poverty. The Scottish Government made a promise to introduce long-term rent controls to tackle this problem, but it is now buckling under the immense lobbying power of landlords and property investors. A new consultation is underway which could lead to large numbers of properties being exempted from rent controls. Not only would these exemptions be disastrous for tenants living in these tenures, but they would create a two-tier system which could undermine rent controls overall.

Without robust rent controls, inflation will continue to spike and homelessness teams will struggle to meet their statutory responsibilities while tenants are evicted due to out of control rents. House prices will escalate further and generations will be priced out of home ownership. Without rent controls, more and more public money will be hemorrhaged into poor quality, dangerous temporary accommodation; money which could be used to buy back housing stock for the public good, which would be more cost effective long term. Instead, this money will line the pockets of landlords while tenants suffer. As a crucial first step to ending the housing emergency, we need robust, universal rent controls, and we need them now. 

Under the proposed controls outlined in the Bill, landlords would be allowed to raise rents above inflation. No other business goes unregulated in this way. Alarmingly, they are now seeking further exemptions to raise rents even higher. This is nothing but greed. The government must ensure that rent controls are designed to protect tenants, not further the profits of landlords.

We believe that:

• Scotland’s tenants need permanent and universal rent controls. We need a system that is rigorous, consistent, and comprehensive, to protect all renters from ever-increasing rents.
  
  
• No exemptions. Rent controls must cover all rented housing, including so-called “mid-market rent” and “build-to-rent” developments. Exemptions will only create instability, uncertainty, and a two-tiered system where some tenants are left more vulnerable than others.
  
  
• No rewards for the bare minimum. Instead of rewarding landlords with exemptions for making minimal repairs or improvements, we must impose stricter penalties on landlords who fail to maintain acceptable living standards. Rent controls must incentivise landlords to improve their properties, but we must be clear that these improvements should be done in the interests of tenants, not as a means to increase rent prices.
  
  
• No incentivising ‘market rent.’ Rent prices in Scotland are already unaffordable for many, and the goal of rent controls should be to reduce rents, not to create a system that continues to push rents higher under the guise of “market rent.”
  
  
• Clear definitions. The term “Mid-Market Rent” must not include anything charging more than the Local Housing Allowance rate. “Build-to-Rent” properties should be classified under the same rent controls as other rented housing after two years Furthermore, any proposed quality improvements should be linked to a transparent, point-based system that fairly evaluates a property’s quality, rather than leaving room for exploitation.

In addition, while landlords across Scotland have been invited in writing to complete the consultation, tenants have not been given the same opportunity to have their voices heard. This unequal participation in the consultation process is clearly designed to benefit landlords while tenants absorb the brunt of the housing emergency. In a just and fair Scotland, housing should be for the good of the people, not an asset to be exploited by landlords. If you fail to deliver on Rent Controls as promised, the electorate will not forgive you. You must ask – in whose interest does your government want to be seen to serve?

Scotland’s tenants deserve better than to be left at the mercy of a housing market driven by greed and inequality. We urge you to act now, ensure there are no exemptions to rent controls and fulfil your promise to introduce robust rent controls before the end of this Parliament.

Yours sincerely,

Aditi Jehangir, Chair, Living Rent

Roz Foyer, General Secretary, STUC

Gordon Martin, Scotland Organiser RMT Scotland,

Liz McGachey & John Jamieson, Co-Convenors of the Scottish Executive Committee, PCS Scotland

Unite Scotland,

GMB Scotland,

University and College Union (UCU) Scotland,