Scottish landlords leaving the market due to anti-landlord rhetoric

Anti-landlord rhetoric from politicians is to blame for the landlord exodus in Scotland, claims the Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL).

New figures revealed by The Herald show that more than 30,000 landlords have left the private rented sector in Scotland since the Covid pandemic.

SAL is calling for the Scottish government to invest in the private rented sector as the housing emergency continues to grip Scotland.

Rent controls and anti-landlord rhetoric from politicians

According to The Herald, figures from the landlord register, the legal record of all people and organisations renting out homes, show that since the pre-pandemic year of 2016, 35,591 landlords have exited the register, bringing numbers down to their lowest level in a decade.

Scottish Association of Landlords chief executive, John Blackwood, says a combination of rent controls and anti-landlord rhetoric from politicians is driving landlords out of the market.

Mr Blackwood told Property118: “While it is saddening that so many landlords have left the sector since the pandemic, it is not surprising.

“A combination of policies like rent controls that place the blame for the housing crisis on the private rented sector and anti-landlord rhetoric from politicians, with some calling for us to be driven from Scotland entirely, have caused some in our sector to sell up entirely.

“If we are to have enough homes available, this must stop, and politicians and policymakers must commit to working with us to attract the investment necessary to create a stable and thriving private rented sector that works for everyone.”

Landlords leaving the market due to increasing regulations

The data also reveals that more than 12,000 rental homes have disappeared from the register since the Covid pandemic.

Since the Scottish government declared a nationwide housing emergency in May last year, the register has been shrinking at a rate of around 350 landlords a month.

As previously reported by Property118, SAL figures show that more than 50,000 homes have been lost from Scotland’s private rented sector as landlords leave the market amid mounting concerns over increasing regulations.

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