NUS Scotland had previously called for all MSPs to vote for the bill, recognising it as a strong first step to tackling the housing emergency, while advocating for it to be strengthened by amendments in further stages to better include students and apprentices.

Specifically, NUS Scotland and supporters have called for rent controls and tenant protection regulations to be applied to purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) on an equal basis to the private rented sector, and for it to be made illegal for landlords to require tenants to have a UK-based guarantor who either owns property or earns over a certain amount of money. NUS is also strongly opposed to any weakening of rent control measures which will tie them to inflation and prevent them from bringing rents down to levels affordable to students and apprentices.

In November NUS published the results of a student housing survey that revealed that 34% of students in Scotland struggle to pay their rent and two fifths (42%) of those students have gone without heating as a result. The survey results also revealed that the majority of student renters have been required to find a guarantor and that over a third (36%) found the process caused them a great deal of stress.

That same week student and apprentice leaders from across Scotland rallied outside the Scottish Parliament and presented Housing Minister Paul McLennan with an open letter urging him to take action to ensure students and apprentices are not ‘left out in the cold’.

Commenting, NUS Scotland president Sai Shraddha S. Viswanathan said: “Today we are closer to a fairer housing system in Scotland. This is a testament to the strength of people-powered campaigns. Students and apprentices have something to celebrate, and activists should be proud.

“The housing bill is a strong first step to tackling Scotland’s housing emergency and we’ve passed the first hurdle to seeing it become law. But now the real work begins. In stages 2 and 3 MSPs must work to close loopholes in the bill which disadvantage students and apprentices and must oppose any weakening of tenant protections and rent controls.

“During the debate in parliament some parties signalled a desire to weaken the bill’s measures and echoed lines used by the landlord lobby which values profit over people. Politicians should know that students are watching, and if they don’t support us in parliament then we won’t support them in the voting booth.”