January 15, 2023
On 12th January Patrick Harvie MSP provided an update to the Scottish Parliament on the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act, which in September 2022 introduced rent freezes and a moratorium on evictions. This was in line with the requirement for the Scottish Government to report to Parliament every 3 months in relation to the need for these provisions to continue or not. You can view the full report here Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022: first report to the Scottish Parliament – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)Warning: not an easy read!!
For our landlord clients the two key points from the report are
Moratorium on evictions – he said it appears crucial that this remains in place, so it is almost certain that the current restrictions will remain in place.
Private rented sector – Harvie’s view is that it is “necessary and proportionate” to extend the rent freeze/cap provisions beyond March 2023. The Government did however appear to recognise that the Act allows for the level of the rent cap and landlord safeguards to be varied. This may mean that the Government is considering raising the cap above the current 0% or introducing amendments to the current landlord safeguards – see Rent freeze – some limited scope for rent increases – Inchdairnie (standrewsletting.com)
We will provide further updates as the Scottish Government moves towards seeking approval of the Scottish Parliament for extension and/or amendment of the current legislation. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like any more information or have any concerns about how the legislation is affecting you – Contact us – Property Lettings – Inchdairnie (standrewsletting.com)