AT THE end of last year, after months of waiting, the Scottish Parliament finally voted the Housing Bill through Stage 1. This has not been an easy journey. Living Rent members have spent years lobbying politicians and putting in the groundwork for this Bill and it is a great step forward to see this go through to the next stage. 

As it stands, the Bill creates powers for the introduction of new rent control areas, in which rent increases would be capped. The proposed legislation is by no means perfect, as it does not cover social rents and relies on a flawed formula for setting limits on rent increases. However, in a welcome change from the emergency rent protections in place between 2022 and 2024, the highest permissible rent on a new tenancy would be determined by the rent paid by the previous tenants.  

This is huge for tenants as it will prevent landlords evicting tenants under dubious grounds only to hike up the rent. But crucially it will also ensure that rent increases are kept to a more affordable level. Gone will be the days of between tenancy increases of 40-50 per cent. The danger of rent controls applying only within a tenancy were most starkly demonstrated in the last two years.