housing
Build more houses for social rent and end homelessness
Shelter Scotland, the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Scotland and the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) organisations jointly commissioned an academic study before the last Scottish Parliament election in 2019 which demonstrated that 53,000 affordable homes - with 70% for social rent - were required to meet existing levels of need and emerging demand across Scotland. These targets have not been met, and as a consequence, Scotland faces a housing emergency.
Achieving these targets must become a priority and a special compulsory purchase and planning law should be passed to speed up construction. Instead of merely waiting for private development to build homes, the state must also embark on a large programme of social housing to meet the nation’s needs, and ensure that new homes are of a high quality, aesthetically pleasing, and energy efficient.
Control and cap private rents
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) in March 2024 showed that despite the introduction of temporary legislation in 2022, which capped rents, Scotland has seen the highest rent increases of any UK nation. The ONS data showed that average private rents increased by 10.9% in Scotland, 8.8% in England and 9% in Wales.
The Housing (Scotland) Bill, currently making its way through the Scottish Parliament, should ensure rent controls are tied to the property and not the tenancy to protect renters from being evicted, so that landlords can increase rents.
Furthermore, instead of creating designated Rent Pressure Zones, as the Scottish Government plans, we hold that a national rent cap is preferable, as rogue landlords in areas outside these zones would be free to increase rents, leaving tenants vulnerable. We also echo the concerns of Generation Rent that the additional time needed to identify areas experiencing excessive rent inflation leaves these areas vulnerable to sharp rises before the implementation of controls, as “if rents rise rapidly for several months before a rent control zone is designated, then these rises will get locked in.”