Rogue landlords in the dock at SNP conference
15 October 2010
The thorny issue of how to deal with rogue landlords is to come under close scrutiny in a high-powered fringe debate at the SNP Conference in Perth.
On Friday 15th October in the Adam Room, Salutation Hotel, Perth, at 12.30pm, Housing Minister Alex Neil, Shelter Scotland director, Graeme Brown and David Bookbinder of CIH Scotland will take part in the debate ‘Rogue Landlords: the SNP’s next housing challenge’, chaired by Bob Doris MSP.
Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland, the housing and homelessness charity, says:
“Rogue landlords are a major problem for thousands of people across Scotland – that’s why we welcomed the new Private Rented Housing Bill introduced by the Scottish Government last week. It strengthens the regulations around landlord registration and gives greater powers to penalise bad landlords. But, there is still a long way to go. During this debate I hope to air some of Shelter Scotland’s ideas and concerns.
“I will also reiterate our position regarding private rented housing – that it has an important role to play but is no substitute for building more homes to tackle the root cause of the housing crisis.
“And I will also warn the Scottish Government against a knee-jerk reaction regarding cuts in public sector capital expenditure in the wake of Westminster’s Comprehensive Spending Review.
“November’s Scottish budget represents a golden opportunity to commit to a programme of concerted investment in building and maintaining affordable homes. We believe this should be a national priority to help pull our country out of the economic doldrums and to meet the Scottish Government’s 2012 commitment to a home for everyone.
“It is Shelter Scotland’s intention to ‘Make Housing Matter’, not only during the run up to the Scottish budget, but also in next year’s elections.”
David Bookbinder, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at CIH Scotland, says:
“There have been many positive developments within Scotland’s private rented sector in recent years, but problems remain with a small minority of bad landlords and we very much welcome the Bill as being a further step in the right direction. The Bill should help address outstanding issues without deterring good landlords from making accommodation available.
“The private rented sector is making an increasingly significant contribution to housing supply, but overall supply will be hugely affected by Scottish Government decisions after next week’s UK spending announcements. Housing investment, like other areas of capital expenditure, expects a cut but it is hard to see any justification for housing taking any more than its fair share of the pain.”
Anyone having problems with their landlord or experiencing housing issues should contact Shelter Scotland’s free helpline on 0808 800 4444 or, alternatively, they can go to www.shelter.org.uk/getadvice.
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Notes to Editors:
- Shelter Scotland, the housing and homelessness charity. Shelter Scotland believes that everyone should have a home. We help people find and keep a home. We campaign for decent housing for all.
- Spokespeople are available for interview, telephone the media office on 0844 515 2442. An ISDN line number is available for broadcast interviews.
