This article is an external press release originally published on the Landlord News website, which has now been migrated to the Just Landlords blog.
Government plans for rent controls in Scotland have been rejected.
Scotland Rejects Rent Controls Plan
The Scottish Government has released an analysis of responses to a second consultation on the private rental sector.
The questions regarding rent controls had the highest amount of responses of all the questions in the consultation.
The majority of respondents (70%) disagreed with the principle of rent controls, with many believing the sector should be market led.
Of the 36 individual letting agents that responded, 35 rejected rent controls and one had a mixed opinion.
Those that do think that rent controls are a good idea, including supporters of the Living Rent Campaign, believe that local councils should be able to implement specific local measures if housing costs are more than one-third of a tenant’s income.
The second consultation on the private rental sector precedes a new housing bill that will be introduced into the Scottish Parliament this autumn.
Rent controls will not be included in the legislation, but the consultation suggested that further legislation would introduce them.
The Scottish Government had proposed a limit to rent rises for tenants in long-term tenancies in hotspot areas.
The document analyses the opinions of 7,689 respondents. Find it here: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0048/00482754.pdf
The respondents gave their views on 26 questions, including grounds for possession. The Scottish Government has already decided to abolish the no fault ground.
