Meanwhile, Scotland is on the cusp of implementing its first long-term rent controls. Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) are preparing for what will likely be the final debate on Scotland’s landmark new private housing bill. In March 2024, the Scottish Government introduced new legislation. It’s intended to give local county councils the power to introduce rent caps, restricting landlords’ rent hikes to the inflation rate plus one percentage point. If successful, this legislation will be a historic moment for housing affordability in Scotland. It builds on the temporary rent control measures enacted during the pandemic which went into effect in October 2021 and sunset in April of 2025.
The Scottish Greens are supporting the proposed bill. They intend to offer amendments that will enhance protections for tenants. Another suggested amendment would be to prohibit landlords from evicting tenants in the first 12 months of a tenancy. Another any winter evictions ban. The Greens want to introduce criminal fines for landlords who impose illegal rent rises. This urgent call for strong protections reflects a wider recognition of the need to make housing more affordable and prevent homelessness in Scotland.
Màiri McAllan, the Minister for Housing, expressed confidence in the bill’s potential impact, stating, “We already have some of the strongest homeless rights in the world. This legislation will go even further to protect and support people threatened with homelessness.” She referred to the incoming bill as a “gold standard” for homelessness prevention.
It is the Scottish Conservatives who are most vocally opposing the bill. Even with all of that optimism, they’ve already come out with their intent to vote this down. Housing spokeswoman Meghan Gallacher denounced the rent control plan as “disastrous.” Echoing many others, she said it wouldn’t address the underlying causes of housing challenges and would actually exacerbate them.
Scottish Labour have been lukewarm supporters of the bill, supporting its general principles but bemoaning its current form. Nonetheless, many of them continue to call for serious, substantive changes. Many of these issues are drawing sharp criticism from hardliners inside the party. They fear that such proposed exemptions would lead to a two-tier system of rent controls. One critic noted, “With the exemptions suggested, this government will create a two-tier system of rent controls that will leave huge portions of the private sector without recourse to challenge rent hikes.”
For Wide Open, the debate over this controversial legislation has become increasingly contentious as the Scottish Greens return to parliament, set to push on with their amendments. Green MSP Maggie Chapman urged the government to adopt a bold stance, emphasizing that “it’s easy to say the private rental market is broken, but it isn’t. It is rigged. It is doing what it set out to do which is enriching greedy developers and rogue landlords.”
As this dialogue unfolds, MSPs will need to push for amendments to extend the deadline that local authorities have to intervene when a person is facing imminent homelessness. The recently published proposals will place a duty on councils six months before a risk of homelessness. This goes beyond the existing requirement, which only provides them 60 days to reply.
Rent control supporters celebrate the proposed rent controls as a landmark step forward in the state’s long-sought housing reform. Opponents argue that these regulations fall short of making any real progress. Ruth Gilbert, national campaign chairwoman of a tenants’ union, said rent controls couldn’t be more important. She doesn’t think the current proposals, as they stand, have teeth to make a measurable difference. She voiced her frustrations by saying, “This bill has been gutted of its vision and potential and this government has totally conceded to the demands of landlords, watering down rent controls at every step of the way.”
The final debate on this pivotal housing legislation reflects broader tensions within Scotland’s political landscape concerning tenant rights and landlord regulations. As MSPs await a possibly historic decision in the case, supporters and opponents alike are keeping a close eye on developments.
