A petition demanding rent controls has been handed in to the Scottish housing minister.
The petition, organised by the Living Rent Campaign, has attracted 8,000 signatures and also calls for an end to “no fault” evictions.
The Scottish Government has already made it clear that it is going to abolish the “no fault” ground for eviction. It is currently consulting on whether to introduce rent controls in certain areas.
Jon Black, of the Living Rent Campaign, said: “The thousands of signatures on this petition are a clear sign we need controls on sky-high rents and guarantees that people won’t be kicked out of their home for no good reason.
“Housing is a basic human need, and we have to make sure everyone has access to a safe, secure and affordable home.
“We have been told heart-rending stories from tenants who have been made homeless by rent increases they can’t afford, people who have been evicted after asking for repairs, and families struggling to find appropriate accommodation within their budget.
“The sorry state of the private rented sector is damaging people’s lives.
“Almost every other country in Europe already has rent controls and strong regulation to protect tenants’ rights. We’re calling on the Scottish Government to join them in ensuring that no one is left without a roof over their heads.”
Meanwhile, a Scottish MP has also called for rent controls.
Motherwell and Wishaw MSP John Pentland spoke out after Your Move figures showed average rent in his Lanarkshire constituency has reached a new high of £570.
The national average in Scotland is just under £550.
The figures for Lanarkshire also show an annual increase of 4.6% – the highest of any region across Scotland.
Pentland said: “These new figures show landlords making more whilst more tenants struggle; the SNP Government cannot continue to turn a blind eye to rent reform.
“The 8,000 private renters in North Lanarkshire deserve better than that.
“We need to reform the private rental sector to make it work for everyone, rather than simply act as a cash cow for landlords.
“I back Scottish Labour plans to ban rip-off rent rises.”
Comments (2)
Hopefully the Scottish Government are more persuaded by hard facts than heart-rending stories. I understand concerns (and even campaigning) about rent levels, however arguments which suggest that tenants are routinely removed by landlords because they ask for reasonable repairs to be carried out are no more helpful than heart-rending stories about tenants who have carelessly destroyed a lovingly refurbished property.
In a severely under-supplied market the challenge for the Scottish Government is to deliver both increased fairness and increased choice.
Pressure to deliver new cure-all regulation in double quick time is a real concern. The issues are extremely complex and involve both taxation and regulation. A simplistic landlord v tenant tug of war approach may serve political agendas but it will not lead to improvement in real terms.
“Scottish Labour plans……”
errr who are Scottish Labour? I though Labour party had been wiped out and were proved to be irrelevant to most of the UK?