Landlords call for PRS legislation to safeguard tenants whilst protecting investment
Reading time: 2 minutes
Organisations representing landlords and letting agents in Scotland will today ask the Scottish Government to ensure forthcoming legislation provides more security and improved standards for tenants whilst also protecting investment in the private rented sector (PRS) in Scotland.
At a meeting with Scottish minister for housing and welfare, Margaret Burgess MSP, representatives from the Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL) and Council of Letting Agents (CLA) will ask the minister to reconsider measures such as longer tenancies and extended mandated notice periods to give tenants more security, but will argue that rent controls and the elimination of the “no fault” clause will be counter-productive.
The discussion comes following the end of a Scottish Government consultation on legislation expected to be laid before the Scottish Parliament in the autumn which will propose a new rental regime for the sector.
At the same meeting, SAL and CLA will present the minister with a petition of over 3,500 signatures urging the Scottish Government and MSPs to balance the need to protect tenants with supporting investment in the PRS to tackle Scotland’s growing housing crisis.
John Blackwood, chief executive of SAL, said: “There is a surprising amount of consensus between landlords and letting agents, housing charities and the Scottish Government about the need to balance the provision of security of tenure for tenants whilst, at the same time, ensuring the private rented sector in Scotland can grow and flourish.
“There is also agreement that the private rented sector has a crucial role to play in tackling Scotland’s housing crisis, alongside additional house-building and an increase in social housing provision.
“As an industry, we fully support measures which will help find this balance but do not believe measures like rent controls or ending the ‘no fault’ clause will achieve this. We would urge the Scottish Government to reconsider additional protections for tenants without harming investment in the private rented sector.”
Share this article:
Subscribe to our newsletter to not miss articles like this one:
SUBSCRIBE
