Consultation response on 'Regulations under section 7 of the Housing Scotland Act 2001'
By: Shelter Scotland Published: April 2005
Shelter welcomes the consultation on minimum rights for hostel dwellers. In this response, we answer specific questions asked in the Scottish Executive consultation paper, followed by a short section dealing with other relevant issues.
Summary
The regulations are a welcome strengthening of the rights of the thousands of people who live in temporary accommodation across Scotland. These new rights must be balanced with the safety of staff working in hostels and other forms of temporary accommodation.
We have concerns over the draft regulations, regarding:
- confusion over circumstances in which the regulations apply
- balancing the safety of staff with a realistic approach to behaviour that is acceptable from occupiers with support needs
- enforcement of the regulations
- lack of attention to the issue of abandonment
- issues relating to termination of occupancy
- circumstances where there has been a breach of the terms of occupancy either by the provider or the occupier.
