Private rented sector well out of balance after emergency powers passed

Press Release

Scottish Land & Estates has said that the disproportionate shift in the balance between tenant and landlord rights will lead to reduced availability of much-needed homes in the coming months and years.

The rural business organisation, which represents some of the largest providers of housing in rural Scotland, made the comments following the Scottish Parliament’s vote to pass the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Bill.

The Bill makes various emergency changes to tenancy legislation including the introduction of a freeze on rents as well as a moratorium on evictions.

Sarah-Jane Laing, chief executive of Scottish Land & Estates, said:

“The rights of landlords and the rights of tenants need to be properly balanced to ensure all parties have confidence in the tenancy system.

“Sadly, the Bill passed in parliament today represents yet another seismic shift from that balance.

“There is already a scarcity of housing available for rent in many areas already, with a huge demand for any available property. This is coupled with regulations such as energy efficiency legislation for tenanted properties which is costing huge sums of money – especially in rural areas – and is leading to huge costs for property owners or the choice for landlords to leave the sector altogether.

“Whilst never completely perfect, even relatively recently we had a well-functioning private rented sector that in most cases worked for tenants and landlords. Indeed, the Scottish Government published its Scottish Household Survey 2020 which showed that 94% of households in the Private Rented Sector were very or fairly satisfied.

“We do not share the Scottish Government’s views that the interests of tenants and landlords are balanced within this emergency legislation. More properties are likely to be withdrawn from the market in the short and medium term and tenants will lose out as choice diminishes.”