Scottish PRS reforms ‘fail to empower tenants’

Private rented sector reforms in Scotland are not effectively empowering tenants to challenge substandard landlord practices, a survey reveals.

SafeDeposits Scotland Charitable Trust found a majority of renters experience issues with their properties, yet few use the established Tribunal process to resolve disputes.

The organisation, which promotes housing rights education, polled 1,000 renters across Scotland.

Of those tenants, 45% said they don’t know where to seek help if their landlord or agent failed to respond to complaints adequately.

Landlords are responding positively

The organisation‘s head of policy, Dr Jennifer Harris, said: “Decent, safe housing should be the bedrock of the private rented sector.

“The vast majority of landlords and agents are responding positively where problems arise.

“However, it is worrying that so many tenants do not know where to turn when landlords fail to properly address their concerns.”

She added: “Tenants need to be empowered to challenge bad practice in the sector.

“This can only be achieved by ensuring they fully understand where to take complaints to when they have them.

“More needs to be done to ensure they have this vital information.”

Problems in Scotland’s PRS

There are 330,000 households in Scotland’s PRS, according to government figures, and 61% of tenants say they have problems with their homes.

Common issues include leaks or plumbing problems (23%), difficulty maintaining warmth (19%), unfulfilled repairs (16%), exterior maintenance needs (16%) and serious damp or mould (13%).

While 88% of tenants experiencing these problems notified their landlord or agent, with 85% seeing some level of resolution, 15% found the response unacceptable.

Of those dissatisfied tenants, only 4% escalated their complaint to the Housing and Property Chamber tribunal – and just 9% contacted their local council.