Scottish landlords can still take control of their future in the PRS

All of us in the Scottish private rented sector understand the nature of difficult decisions.

Many of us have friends and colleagues who are currently considering whether to remain in the sector, downsize their portfolios or simply leave it entirely. The statistics don’t lie. As of December 2025, over half of Scottish landlords were considering taking a step back, while fewer than one in ten were contemplating taking on additional properties.

Those figures should concern everyone who cares about the future of housing in Scotland.

SAL is determined to continue fighting for a private rented sector that works for everyone, including landlords. Our work engaging with politicians and policymakers, as well as making our case in the media, has never been more important.

While some vested interests and political ideologues try to portray the landlord-tenant relationship as inherently adversarial, often to make political capital, we know the reality is rather different. Our tenants are our customers and deserve excellent service. The overwhelming majority of landlords want good, long-term relationships with the people living in their properties.

Unfortunately, the system does not always make that easy.

It does not help, for example, when bodies like the Housing and Property Chamber are taking significantly longer than they should to arrive at eviction decisions. We were told that the Tribunal would be more efficient and better resourced than what preceded it. The experience of many landlords suggests that has simply not proved to be the case.

Nobody wants evictions, especially landlords. They are stressful, time-consuming, and costly for everyone involved. We want good relationships with our tenants, but when that is no longer possible, a slow and gummed-up eviction system means problems drag on unnecessarily and properties take longer to return to the market.

Against that background, I understand why landlords can sometimes feel as though we are being blown around by forces outside our control and by decisions made by people who do not properly understand our sector.

It can leave you wondering whether there is anything you can actually do. I understand that point of view, but I don’t think it is quite the full story.

I’m often asked what landlords can do to regain a sense of control and direction in their businesses. My suggestion, stemming partly from conversations I’ve had with professionals including EQ Accountants, who were guests on our Landlord Voice podcast, is surprisingly simple: make a plan.

I don’t mean a vague ambition to buy another property, reach a particular level of rental income or perhaps sell up at some undefined point in the future.

I mean sitting down and doing the hard work of answering some fundamental questions.

What is my property business actually for? What do I want it to provide for me and my family? What do the next five years look like? Do I want to grow, consolidate or gradually reduce my portfolio? What investment might my existing properties require? What are the tax implications of the decisions I am considering? And, perhaps most importantly of all, what does it look like when I eventually leave the market?

That last question is one landlords sometimes understandably put off. But whether you intend to be a landlord for another five years or another 25, there will eventually be an exit. Thinking about it now does not mean you have decided to leave. It means you are making sure that when the time comes, you leave on your terms rather than because circumstances have forced your hand.

It might take a while to answer these questions. In fact, answering them will probably produce several more.

But what should become clear is that getting your business from where it is today to where you want it to be requires a strategy.

That might mean speaking to a dependable accountant about tax planning. It might mean reviewing borrowing, considering which properties still fit your objectives, thinking about succession or deciding whether future investment remains right for you.

The important thing is that these become conscious decisions rather than reactions to the latest announcement from government.

I completely understand why some landlords in Scotland are feeling a little lost or find themselves lacking enthusiasm at the moment. I’ve been there too.

There is plenty happening to our sector that individual landlords cannot control. That is why SAL will continue making the case for our members and for a healthy, sustainable private rented sector.

But there are also things we can control.

Government will make its decisions. Regulators will make theirs. SAL will continue fighting the battles that need to be fought on behalf of landlords.

For our own businesses, however, we can decide where we want to go and make a plan for getting there. In uncertain times, that sense of direction matters more than ever.

Article by John Blackwood, chief executive of Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL)