THE SNP-Green Scottish government must act now to avoid the disastrous consequences of rocketing rents, according to Scotland’s tenants’ union.
In an open letter to First Minister Humza Yousaf, SNP housing minister Paul McLennan and Green minister for tenants’ rights Patrick Harvie, Living Rent has called for emergency protections to be put in place to avoid Scotland’s housing crisis becoming a disaster when the temporary rent cap ends on March 31.
Rents have rocketed by 62 per cent across Scotland in the last decade, with even steeper increases found in Edinburgh and Glasgow, which saw staggering rises of 88.5 per cent and 99.5 per cent respectively.
Living Rent argues that tenants risk being “pushed to the edge” as the temporary cap gives way to transitional measures which are both “unenforceable and confusing.”
The union says the impact of rent hikes on people’s lives has only been heightened during the costs-of-living crisis. It pointed to a YouGov poll conducted last year showing that almost a third of Scottish households were struggling financially, while 11 per cent lived with food insecurity, missing meals for want of cash.
Unions CWU, Unison, Unite, PCS, RMT, UCU, PCS, NUS Scotland and the Scottish Artists’ Union, as well as STUC general secretary Roz Foyer, all rallied to Living Rent’s cause, adding their signatures to the letter.
Living Rent national campaigns officer Ruth Gilbert said: “Landlords are exploiting every loophole and opportunity to increase rent and displace tenants while blaming the existing rent cap for an out-of-control market.
“Rents in Scotland have continued to rise in line with the rest of the UK because the temporary measures don’t go far enough, and don’t apply between tenancies.
“The solution to this is a robust system of rent controls tied to the property, not the tenancy, which protects all tenants.
“With the Scottish government receiving criticism from across the board due to its cuts to affordable housing and its ending of the rent cap, it is clear it urgently needs to review its housing strategy, reverse its cuts to affordable housing – and introduce a national rent cap and eviction ban.
“Without this, we will see a tidal wave of rent increases, de facto evictions and a sharp rise in homelessness.”
Green tenants’ rights minister Patrick Harvie said: “Our emergency legislation, including the rent cap, has led the way at a time when rents have been rising across the UK, striking an important balance between protection for tenants and the rights of landlords.
“We have proposed that from 1 April, tenants continue to have additional protection so that they do not face the very sudden rises that could apply if rents were to return to open market rates in one step.”
