Scotland housing crisis laid bare as 22,000 homes disappear in a year
2 years ago | 10 comments
Scottish Greens hit back at landlord claims
12:04 AM, 6th March 2024, 2 years ago
14
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A political party has hit back at claims made by the Scottish Association of Landlords which said that 22,000 homes have disappeared from Scotland’s private rented sector (PRS).
The Scottish Greens says the landlords are offering ‘misleading claims’.
The Greens say the figure is based on self-reported data from a limited pool of member landlords and has been extrapolated to encompass all of Scotland.
Rental homes in Scotland have risen by 1.7%
Now, the Greens are pointing to the official landlord register which reveals that the number of registered rental homes in Scotland has risen by 1.7% during the period of the emergency rent cap.
Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer expressed scepticism about the lobby group’s claims and said: “It’s a sign of real desperation that they are reduced to claims at odds with the evidence.
“Rather than declining, the number of rented properties has increased over the last 18 months.”
Landlord exodus from the Scottish rental market
Mr Greer went on to say that instead of a landlord exodus from the Scottish rental market, official data shows that rental housing stock has grown from 120,000 pre-devolution to more than 340,000 currently.
He adds that across Europe, ‘sensible and balanced regulations’ coexist with thriving markets, benefiting both tenants and responsible landlords.
Mr Greer said: “It may well be that some landlords have taken properties out of renting but that has always been the case. Some come, some go. We need to look at the full picture.
“Over the last two decades, the response from landlord groups has been as predictable as it has been wrong.”
He added: “Each new regulation is greeted with claims that landlords will walk away, but the number of rented homes has grown from 120,000 pre-devolution to over 340,000 today.”
Tags:
emergency rent cap effects, Greens, Housing, Landlords, Private Rented Sector Scotland, Property market, Rent, scotland, Scottish Association of Landlords, Scottish Greens landlord claims, UK
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Member Since December 2023 - Comments: 1575
8:35 AM, 6th March 2024, About 2 years ago
Statistics, statics and damn lies.
I’m sure the SLA will have erred on the high side.
Equally, I’m sure the Greens will be including dubious data. Some properties may show on the register as being rented when they have, in fact, been sold.
SLA referred to a fall in rental properties since rent caps were introduced whereas the Greens talk of numbers since Devolution.
The truth will, as always, be somewhere in-between.
Member Since June 2014 - Comments: 1562
12:03 PM, 6th March 2024, About 2 years ago
Is this also ‘misleading’?
https://homelet.co.uk/-/media/project/barbon/homelet/homelet-documents/homelet-rental-index/homelet-rental-index-july-2023.pdf
Compared to a year ago, Scotland has seen the highest increase in rents 15.8%
(The largest and most reliable source of average rental index data in the UK)
Member Since July 2013 - Comments: 1996 - Articles: 21
12:48 PM, 6th March 2024, About 2 years ago
In the Scottish Greens Alternative Universe the law of supply and demand works in reverse: an increase in supply leads to an increase in price.
The salad botherers are in denial that policies they have championed have had the effect that landlords predicted. Their instinct is still to attack landlords at every opportunity. OK, Mr Greer, by your reckoning there is no housing problem. Tell that to your constituents who come to your surgery.
Member Since June 2014 - Comments: 1562
1:23 PM, 6th March 2024, About 2 years ago
Ha Ha Ha!
I’ve just found where they’ve got their selective statistics from;
https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-stock-by-tenure/
The number of Scotland’s private rented properties peaked at 400,492.
It is around 340,000 today.
A fall of about 15%.
Can someone please let the SAL know?
Member Since November 2015 - Comments: 12
1:59 PM, 6th March 2024, About 2 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Cider Drinker at 06/03/2024 – 08:35
It took local council almost 2 and half years to remove our sold but registered property from their systems. Their analysts do not speak to those that are in the market, they extrapolate from such small pool of feedback and its wholly inaccurate, always.
Member Since October 2023 - Comments: 201
2:36 PM, 6th March 2024, About 2 years ago
Interesting that he said “sensible and balanced regulations” have been “benefiting both tenants and responsible landlords”. Bit of a Freudian slip there, apparently tenants dont need to be responsible, only landlords.
Member Since May 2018 - Comments: 1999
2:48 PM, 6th March 2024, About 2 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Monty Bodkin at 06/03/2024 – 13:23
This appears to be correct. The number of privately rented dwellings in Scotland has dropped to a level not seen in a decade. The total number of dwellings in Scotland hasn’t dropped but there’s been a large increase in the proportion of dwellings that are from housing associations.
Isn’t it funny how this trend towards ‘public ownership’ has coincided with a recent increase in rents of over 15%.
Member Since June 2014 - Comments: 325
3:58 PM, 6th March 2024, About 2 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Monty Bodkin at 06/03/2024 – 13:23
Great to sight source data, albeit only recording up to 2022. Quick analysis shows 0.5% annual growth in PRS between 2000 (devolution) and 2010, 0.3% annual growth between 2010 and 2020, 1 % annual fall between 2020 and 2022 with 2% annual fall between 2021 and 2022. So reasonable to expect the fall in percentage of PRS over 2013 will be even greater. And as growth in total number of properties the significance of the reduction in PRS will be even greater.
Member Since June 2014 - Comments: 1562
4:23 PM, 6th March 2024, About 2 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Jireh Homes at 06/03/2024 – 15:58
Jan 22- Sept 23;
https://www.gov.scot/publications/private-sector-rent-statistics-scotland-2010-to-2023/pages/trends-in-the-size-of-the-private-rented-sector-in-scotland/#:~:text=Nevertheless%20subject%20to%20these%20limitations,most%20recent%20month%20October%202023.&text=Source%3A%20Scottish%20Landlord%20Registration%20System%20monthly%20monitoring%20figures.
Member Since June 2014 - Comments: 1562
4:34 PM, 6th March 2024, About 2 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Jireh Homes at 06/03/2024 – 15:58
Quick analysis shows 0.5% annual growth in PRS between 2000 (devolution) and 2010, 0.3% annual growth between 2010 and 2020, 1 % annual fall between 2020 and 2022 with 2% annual fall between 2021 and 2022.
Not sure how you’re getting your percentage figures, please show working!