DJ Alexander Ltd, Scotland’s largest lettings and estate agency, has said that the private rented sector (PRS) has played a crucial role in maintaining housing supply over the last 30 years.
The latest Scottish Government statistics on housing tenure show that between 1993 and 2023 the number of social housing homes fell by 195,072, while the PRS grew by 203,706 over the same period.
Since the SNP came to power in 2007, the number of social housing homes has risen by 19,737 to 626,928, but the PRS has grown by 110,331 to reach 357,707 in 2023.
David Alexander, chief executive officer of DJ Alexander Scotland, said: “These statistics, published by the Scottish Government annually, highlight the essential role that the private rented sector has played in maintaining a supply of homes for Scotland.
“Without landlords and property investors the current housing emergency would be more severe.”
He added: “Rather than be the cause of the housing emergency – as some imply – the PRS has actually been essential in preventing the current situation becoming even worse.
“With the severe decline in the volume of social housing over the last 30 years the number of homes available would have been considerably fewer if the private sector had not intervened.”
Alexander concluded: “This is why it is more important than ever that decision makers should recognise the vital role that the PRS has played and will continue to play in the coming decades if we are to have sufficient homes to house Scots in the future.
“The only way to resolve the current housing emergency is to work with all parts of the housing sector – housebuilders, private landlords and investors, and the social housing sector – to ensure we have as varied, as flexible, and sufficient homes for people in the coming decades.
“Any failure to do this will result in the current housing emergency continuing for years and potentially getting worse.”
