Scotland needs robust rent controls in 2025 say Greens
Rent controls are fundamental to building a fairer and better housing system in Scotland, and they must be enforced this year to protect tenants and provide financial security, says Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman.
With eye-watering rent increases across the country, and average prices of a one-bedroom property reaching £710 per month, and two-bedroom properties averaging around £893 per month, the Scottish Government must urgently rethink its proposed amendments that would entrench above-inflation rent hikes and bring forward as robust a Housing Bill as possible this year.
Ms Chapman said:
“If real rent control measures are not put in place, I am worried that we will see the housing emergency getting even worse, with tenants forced out of their homes.
“There must be justice for renters who face insecure tenancies due to soaring costs and are being forced to shoulder the financial burden so their landlords can profit.
“The government's current proposals for this bill would enshrine perpetual rent increases into law, and undermine local authorities’ ability to protect tenants by preventing them from bringing rents down.
“Homes should be for living in, not for profiteering. They are not luxurious, nice to have extras in life. They are necessary, vital spaces. Everyone has the right to have access to a warm, safe, secure, affordable place to call home whether they own or rent the property.
“When this Housing Bill was introduced it promised protection for tenants, redefining housing as a human right. It gave hope to many struggling while relying on the private rented sector for a place to call home here in Scotland.
“Any attempts to water down the Bill will undermine all of this. This must be the year that we begin to repair our broken housing system. Scotland must commit to making lives and homes fairer and better for everyone.”