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Scottish Government Receives Petition Requesting Rent Controls
This article is an external press release originally published on the Landlord News website, which has now been migrated to the Just Landlords blog.
The Scottish Government has received a petition requesting rent controls.
The petition was organised by the Living Rent Campaign and has 8,000 signatures. It also demands an end to no fault evictions.
The Scottish Government has already confirmed that it will abolish no fault evictions. It is currently consulting on whether to introduce rent controls in certain areas.
The Living Rent Campaign’s Jon Black says: “The thousands of signatures on this petition are a clear sign we need controls on sky-high rents and guarantees that people won’t be kicked out of their home for no good reason.
Scottish Government Receives Petition Requesting Rent Controls
“Housing is a basic human need, and we have to make sure everyone has access to a safe, secure and affordable home.
“We have been told heart-rending stories from tenants who have been made homeless by rent increases they can’t afford, people who have been evicted after asking for repairs, and families struggling to find appropriate accommodation within their budget.
“The sorry state of the private rented sector is damaging people’s lives.
“Almost every other country in Europe already has rent controls and strong regulation to protect tenants’ rights. We’re calling on the Scottish Government to join them in ensuring that no one is left without a roof over their heads.”1
Additionally, a Scottish MP has called for rent controls.
Motherwell and Wishaw MSP, John Pentland, voiced his concerns after Your Move data revealed that the average rent in his Lanarkshire constituency hit a new high of £570.
The national average in Scotland is just under £550.
The figures for Lanarkshire also show an annual rise of 4.6%, the highest of any region in Scotland.
Pentland notes: “These new figures show landlords making more whilst more tenants struggle; the SNP Government cannot continue to turn a blind eye to rent reform.
“The 8,000 private renters in North Lanarkshire deserve better than that.
“We need to reform the private rental sector to make it work for everyone, rather than simply act as a cash cow for landlords.
“I back Scottish Labour plans to ban rip-off rent rises.”1
1 http://www.propertyindustryeye.com/scottish-government-handed-petition-demanding-rent-controls/
