The Scottish Government’s call for landlords, tenants, and stakeholders to weigh in on proposed reforms to the rental sector has seen CIH Scotland voicing concerns about how certain provisions will take shape in reality.
The consultation, which concluded on 27th October, delved into various topics, from rent control and tenancy termination in the private rented sector (PRS) to the rights of tenants in terms of personalising their homes and keeping pets.
Ashley Campbell, policy and practice manager at CIH Scotland, said: “The rented sector is an essential part of our housing system and we want to make sure that tenants, no matter who they rent their home from, can expect a good quality, well managed home that provides value for the rent they pay.”
Campbell further elaborated on the association’s reservations: “We absolutely support the Scottish Government’s aim to give tenants more flexibility to make their rented house a home. However, we have concerns about how some of the proposals will work in practice without greater resources available to help landlords comply and tenants to uphold these new rights.”
She went on to spotlight potential adverse effects tied to the introduction of a new rent control system in the PRS. Drawing attention to evidence suggesting that the emergency rent cap, designed to shield tenants during the cost-of-living crisis, might be counterproductive, Campbell warned of the possibility of considerable rent hikes between tenancies.
“A substantial change like rent control has the potential to reshape the housing sector – for better or worse. If introduced, it could help to suppress rents that are becoming unaffordable and shutting people out of the PRS. But if it is not well thought through and based on robust evidence, a new rent control system could encourage private landlords to increase rents when they may not have otherwise done so, or to leave the market putting existing tenants at risk of eviction and resulting in a loss of rented accommodation,” Campbell cautioned.
She concluded by urging the Government to fill the gaps in PRS data to aid informed decisions and to meticulously evaluate the repercussions of existing rent caps before implementing a new system.
