Scottish Greens hit back at landlord claims

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.”