Private tenants in Scotland face huge rent increases and mass evictions as emergency protection expires at the end of next month, campaigners have warned.
Ruth Gilbert, national campaign chair for Scottish tenant union Living Rent, said that while the Scottish Government had “effectively rubber-stamped rent increases from April”, the transitional measures were inadequate and confusing, with many of people say they don’t understand what their legal rights are. teeth.
A 3% cap on all tenancy rent increases in the private rental sector and protection against evictions were introduced for the first time in September 2022. The emergency legislation, led by the ruling Scottish National Party, the Scottish Greens, is a temporary response to the cost of living crisis and ends on March 31.
According to Living Rent, tenants are already seeing cases where they receive rent increase notices of between 30% and 60% before the cap ends, despite being given a three-month notice period from April 1st. It is said that
“We’re also concerned about the scale of evictions, because if you can’t afford a rent increase, whether you call it an eviction or not, it’s an eviction,” Gilbert said. “People are already paying more than half of their take-home pay in rent, particularly in the central areas of Glasgow and Edinburgh.”
Last month, the Scottish Government proposed changes to the rent award process aimed at bridging the gap between the end of emergency protection and the passing of the Housing Bill into law. Any tenant who wants to object to a rent increase can apply. The bill, which includes a long-term rent control scheme and new rights for tenants, is expected to be first debated before the summer holidays.
While these changes introduce a complex formula for assessing rent increases against market rates, Living Rent says tenants already have limited experience with the adjudication process.
The housing bill has already been delayed and campaigners expect a significant backlash from landlords. A coalition of landlord organizations launched a judicial review of the original rent cap, but the landlord groups lost.
Arianne Burgess, housing spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, said in an interview with the Guardian last November that despite growing outcry over the cavalier treatment of tenant rights, in other parts of the UK He pointed out that no such upper limit had been considered.
“Scotland is leading the way in this. But we are also trying to normalize Scotland compared to other EU countries, where the rental sector is larger and much more regulated. ” she said.
Campaigners will be watching closely to see when the bill begins to pass through Holyrood, but Mr Gilbert said he would like to see some type of proposals similar to those proposed by Mayor Sadiq Khan for London, with permanent regulations promised. states that a retrospective mechanism is needed, which is indeed possible. lower rent.
“Rents have been rising out of control over the past 10 years. In Glasgow, rents have increased by 80% in 10 years. This figure is astronomical and if rents are ever really going to be affordable. We need a mechanism to reverse this. That is our vision,” she said.
