THIS summer, Scotland’s organised tenants stand on the cusp of victory at Holyrood. But with another dangerous cliff edge on the horizon, the fight for robust rent controls and a transformed housing system has never been more urgent. 

Scotland remains in a national housing emergency, one caused by a market-driven system which has prioritised private developers and landlords over working-class people. This emergency has not come about overnight. It has been created through decades of political choices which have resulted in the mass sell-off of our public housing stock, a systematic deregulation of the private rented sector, and consequently a lack of genuinely affordable homes for social rent. 

This spring, Stage 2 of Scotland’s Housing Bill will proceed through Parliament. It contains, among other key provisions, proposals for robust rent controls tied to the property which have the ability to bring out-of-control rents down. We know that landlords and their lobbyists are working hard to water these provisions down, but rent controls, if done right, will be part of a holistic solution towards building a housing system which works in the interests of Scotland’s people. However, the road to meaningful rent controls remains paved with challenges and several irresponsible decisions by Housing Minister Paul McLennan put the key strengths of the Bill at risk. These decisions must be named and challenged.