Scotland’s rent freeze law will see fewer homes to rent

Scotland’s rent freeze law will see fewer homes to rent

8:03 AM, 11th October 2022, About 2 years ago 1

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The new law that will see rents being frozen and evictions banned in Scotland will see a drop in the number of homes to rent ‘in the coming months and years’.

That’s the view of Scottish Land & Estates who point out that the new law has led to a ‘disproportionate shift in the balance between tenant and landlord rights’.

The rural business organisation, which represents some of the largest providers of housing in rural Scotland, has hit out after the Bill made various emergency changes to tenancy legislation in the country.

‘Rights of landlords and the rights of tenants’

Sarah-Jane Laing, the 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 represents yet another seismic shift from that balance.”

She added: “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.”

‘We had a well-functioning private rented sector’

Ms Laing continued: “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“More properties are likely to be withdrawn from the market in the short and medium term and tenants will lose out as choice diminishes.”


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Comments

AMAZONIA STARBUCK

22:51 PM, 11th October 2022, About 2 years ago

They will slowly push all good landlords out of the market.Good tenants will be homeless because being a landlord will become a loss making enterprise.Who is going to rehome them?
This overreaction combined with the crazy efficiency standards only applicable to private landlords will lead to a mass exodus of landlords.

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