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 yesterday, 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 that 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.
Patrick Harvie, tenants’ rights minister in the Scottish Government, says: “Tenants benefit from improved conditions and security, while good responsible landlords will thrive when their good practice is recognised by regulation. Scotland has led the way across the UK in improving the experience of people who rent their homes and this reform has been at the same time as significant growth in the size of the private rented sector.
“Progressive reform can lead to better conditions and a healthy rented sector overall. I want to keep working with both tenants and landlords to achieve that goal.”
There’s been support for the move from Scottish tenants’ union Living Rent. A spokesperson says: “Tenants are being pushed to the edge by unaffordable rents … If passed, these will have a huge impact on tenants’ lives, ensuring that we have homes that we can actually call ours.
"But we know the landlord lobby will try to water down the bill at every step. Our representatives need to stand up for tenants and bring in robust rent controls that both improve housing quality and ensure homes in Scotland are affordable."
Meanwhile the Scottish Association of Landlords said the Bill will exacerbate problems in the private rental sector.
Chief executive John Blackwood says: “The rent control proposals, as has been seen in places like Ireland which has similar measures, will see reduced investment and more landlords leaving the sector, leading to higher costs for tenants.
“The effects of Scottish Government policies in the private rented sector are already being felt, with rising costs reducing supply and placing more pressure on council and housing association properties that they are struggling to cope with.”
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Rent rises capped BETWEEN tenancies? Whose property is it, the landlord’s or the state’s?😡 Will the last PRS landlord who escapes from the Scottish dictatorship, turn out the lights?🤬
Welcome to the Socialist Republic of Scotland!
No.
I have just sold my Scottish property and had to chase tenants for a year for rent and damages.
No help whatsoever.
I m outa there this will not end well
People should get their properties back ASAP. Wait longer and it will become impossible as there will be no places for the tenants to rent and they will stay indefinitely.
So many ways to invest your money nowadays (if you have any).
GET OUT 🏃 NOw 🆘🆘.. Wow, stunning. 👎🏻🤷♂️
What other business has a state imposed price on its services unrelated to costs? This will kill the PRS in Scotland.
Why any landlord remains in Scotland is a mystery to me.
Exactly my view.
I have thought this for a while 🤷♂️
Sarah
Rents up from £1600 in 2017 to £2800 per month in 2023 is why I am keeping my entire portfolio, but now only renting to students, not families.
@ Robert Brown
Wait until the SNP/Green Dictators decide THEY should determine the type of tenants that should go in your property.
To think that they could not get elected under their true names: the Monster Raving Looney Party.
Even they won't control which potential tenants are chosen, provided it's not discrimination.
@ RB
I would not bet money on that, let alone a property.
I've bet £4 million on it, including £1 million of mortgage debt.
My flats are all HMO and in prime student locations with huge demand willing to pay huge rents.
They may attempt to outlaw further between tenancy rent increases but the Scottish courts have already ruled these were legal during the recent rent freeze.
As Karl Marx reputedly said, "Property is theft". So don't expect any sympathy, as that is essentially how your hard-earned investment is really seen.
People in Scotland aren't happy about their Edinburgh Council at all. They implemented polices without consultation and mostly are politically motivated like forcing people to bike, turning main streets to pedestrian; install bike hangers and relocate bin hubs to reduce parking spaces; install electric car charges in the residential areas which is known to cause cancer, then electrical cars are now suspended by a few car manufactures...etc. Budget is in deficit but it is no problem to spend big amounts without proper planning. Citizen's questions and complaints are ignored. Why we have two systems in one country! This is a total / complete shambles, run by Marxist regime. People want Transparency. Transparency is the mandate and core value of democracy.
Coming to England next... When you have David Lammy praising Thatcher you know it's BS and all a ruse. Once they get hold of the levers of power they will show their true colours. Reform UK only party with sensible housing policies.
Just wait for Trotskyites (Labour party) to get in, this side of the border. I remember couple of years back, John McDonnell MP was saying, labour will force landlords to sell to their tenants, wait fir it, at a reduced price. Similar deal as for the council tenants.
Abolition of Section 21 + Open ended tenancies + Rent control = Back to Rent Act 1977 = Sitting tenants
Cap rents irrespective of landlords wishes or expenditure??? That leads to the bleedin obvious of landlords saying NO I am not renting. If it is in a nice area I would be seeking planning for AirBnB or selling it.
Jumped up set of Socialist Wan$$rs..!
The PRS is alive and well - doing better than ever. PRS being the Peoples Republic of Scotland of course.
Sounds abit communist to be honest.
I’m sure I read a news article yesterday stating rent is cheaper than first time buying in majority of UK 🤔
And still still they relentless accuse landlords of squeezing the pips out of tenants!
Truth is that people are desperate and beginning to offer more than ever. I had sometime the other day offering £100 per week for each of two rooms that I expected to get £75 and £85 for. And I turned down several other people, all in a very subdued area where I usually have at least one or two vacancies.
This is an open attack on the concept and rights of ownership. It will end very badly.
It is also a loud wake up call to all voters in Scotland.
If Scotland is to survive and prosper it needs to ‘slap down the SNP and Greens’! Deluded impractical ideology is a dangerous thing.
The Scots got what they voted for, if you vote for lunatics like the SNP and greens then you get what you deserve and I've no sympathy. Imagine if they won independence lol. Hopefully this will be a lesson for all of the UK.
AJR Absolutely correct. Next election will hopefully see the SNP hammered and the Greens eradicated. Unfortunately Labour will be the main beneficiary.
Stuart ( Scottish name, albeit the French mispelling ala Mary, Queen of Scots, niece and mother of a King of England).
Totally wrong.
The SNP are a minority government propped up by the loony Greens.
A majority of Pauls will always vote to rob a minority of Peters.
11% of Scots pay 89% of the tax collected in Scotland.
We DO deserve sympathy but don't worry the English Peters will soon be suffering the same fate!
Stuart. Humanity has never learnt from the history.
The SNP got more seats than all the other parties put together, someone must have voted for them lol.
Sure we have our own problems here and may well be in the same boat at the next election. But hopefully English politicians will learn from the disaster that the Scots communist policies have caused.
At least we have Reform UK that are gaining ground and have a well thought out set of landlord friendly policies including the scrapping of S24 so there is an alternative.
Wrong
They are a minority government propped up by Greens all voted in on second votes.
A majority of Pauls will always support robbing the minority of Peters.
Landlords are almost certainly all Peters and English Peters should be worried instead of gloating at how their Scottish colleagues have been treated.
Not only are Reform "landlord frendly" but if you read the whole manifesto their policies are business, employment and growth friendly. More like a Conservative manifesto of 20 or 30 years ago
lets cap the income and pensions of politicians and public sector workers. If its caps are good for the PRS it should be good for the politicians and public sector wages.
I feel really sorry for anyone who is a LL in Scotland, these SNP policies are just madness.
The one benefit to this happening in Scotland, is that when the PRS all comes crashing down in Scotland (as we all know it will), it will be an example to the rest of the UK on what not to do.
I've got my eye on an exit strategy, but it unfortunately means that 9 families will end up being evicted, to allow me to sell up, but I will be telling the tenants why I being forced to sell up as a result of government policy.
Hm, When everyone has the same exit strategy at the same time, not sure how tenants could be asked to leave or be evicted if there are virtually no places for them to go.
Bruce
Things are not at all bad for Scottish landlords who can stay a few steps ahead of the anti tenant fools currently in power in Scotland.
Nikie
Even in Scotland now, tenants aren't asked to leave. They are TOLD to leave if the Landlord is fed up enough to sell up. Admittedly it's not quick, easy or cheap but when told to leave, leave they eventually do.
Where they go then is the responsibility of the Scottish "government" (small g for small people).
Nikie, has hit the nail right on the head here. Fact is, there is almost nowhere for evicted tenants to go. No Gov is going to allow mass homelessness.
This is our greatest threat, the direction of travel for all political parties can only be to ‘lock in ‘ private landlords.
Existing actions to slow the current eviction process ie RRB, Court times/ and bias will over time further mutate into what will become ‘sequestration’ in all but name.
AJR
Exactly why we now have only one property left which is let to a family as it's nowhere near any University or College.
All others are now HMO flats let to students.
Bruce, hush silent cars move the fastest, or they’ll have another amendment to ban Landlords selling vacant.
To see what rent controls and legislation have done to the Irish rental market look at daft.ie for rental houses available. there are occasionally no rental houses available in entire counties.
It’s like a Dictator ruling up there. Thank f I ain’t got any . F hope it don’t come south.
Nikie, there will be places they are going up rapid in every Town & City multi storey substandard much more expensive to rent ours with 3m2 balcony in the sky excuse for a garden.
Look at Hanger Lane about 700 modular high rise Flats in the middle of the Gyratory
D Duck. Eire is swamped with Refugees and Asylum seekers or what ever they call them. Streets lined with tents endless not able to cope can’t house their own.
A famous Cyclist who built the most Amazing House ever complete with gate house and Stables in a beautiful setting, now that he moved on and the House sold. The fine rooms have been divided and the Stables Converted to House 75 of those Refugees. I can see big problems ahead.
Between the continual rain , the hornets and the deep fried mars bars no wonder property up north is so cheap
The north of England may get a lot of rain and have cheap properties, same in the north of Scotland, especially around Fort William.
In central Scotland, £400,000 for a 4 bed flat which rents for £2800 per month wouldn't be regarded as cheap anywhere.
Elsewhere, near the small former mining village where I was born, a former 3 bedroom Council house has been for sale for months for under £50,000 and could be rented for around £500 per month but almost certainly to a DSS claimant due to virtually no jobs around.
A 12% yield for the same cost as a fancy car and no takers. SNP supporters should be asking why this decent family home hasn't been snapped up as would have happened a few years earlier.
Every region has desirable affluent areas and sink estates. Scotland is no different despite SNP yearning to make it different as much as possible.
BL. Excellent Post exactly how it is in West London to, duel carriageways bicycle lanes costing £6m finished over a year and went on for a year not a bike to be seen ever, when I did see 2 bikes cycling along they were still on the road, guess what they ignored the potholes in the road adjacent. Installed a Bus Stop right outside a new business that had opened up, then 4/5 charging points that will finish them off.
Further along a silly bit of Bus lane about 15m long 10m back from traffic lights 7am to 7pm holding up all traffic & the Buses as they are stuck away up the road with all the other traffic queuing a mile long and can’t get to it because it’s there where as before when lights changed 2 lines of traffic got straight through so they have doubled the traffic & pollution not putting any value on peoples time,
a kin to what they are doing with Private Sector Housing it don’t bare thinking about.
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