This one-day Shelter conference, held in Perth on 28 August 2007, focused on current legislation, key issues affecting tenants and best practice in the private rented sector.

Morning plenary session

Archie Stoddart , Director of Shelter Scotland, chaired the event and the morning plenary session looked at financial issues for landlords and a specific project In Newcastle promoting best practice in the private rented sector. Kennedy Foster , Policy Consultant, Council of Mortgage Lenders Scotland, gave the first presentation, covering the factors landlords considering investing in rented property should consider.

Kennedy was followed by Helen MacKenzie , Partner at Chiene & Tait, who explained some of the main tax issues for private landlords. The next presentation was given by Claire McMullen , Project Manager, Newcastle Private Renting Project, who outlined the innovative work around raising good practice in private renting that the project and its partners have undertaken over its ten year history. This particularly looked at the project's successes in bringing empty homes back into use.

You can download their presentations here:

Renting as an investment: factors to consider
Kennedy Foster, Policy Consultant, Council of Mortgage Lenders Scotland

Tax and private landlords
Helen MacKenzie, Partner, Chiene & Tait

Newcastle Private Renting Project presentation
Claire McMullen, Project Manager, Newcastle Private Renting Project

Morning workshop sessions

Delegates were given a choice of four workshops as follows:

Housing migrant workers
Barney Crockett, Grampian Racial Equality Council

Using the private sector to tackle homelessness
Angela McLachlan, Orchard & Shipman

Effective tenancy management
Katie Buckingham, Letwise

Housing Benefit and Local Housing Allowance
Craig Dunlop, Shelter Scotland

Afternoon plenary session

The focus of the afternoon presentations was to look at some of the key changes in legislation and practice in the private rented sector. Alison Byrne , Private Sector Team Leader, Scottish Executive, explained the main recent changes in law and policy for private renting.

John Blackwood , Director, Scottish Association of Landlords and Phil Rowsby , Housing Strategy Officer, Scottish Rural Property and Business Association, talked about the introduction of a national voluntary landlords' accreditation scheme and outlined the experiences of the pilot accreditation schemes.

Finally, Robert Buchan , Vice President, Private Rented Housing Panel, explained how the new Private Rented Housing Panel which will be introduced on 3^rd September 2007 is going to operate and what this will mean for landlords and local authorities.

You can download their presentations here:

Changes in law and policy for private renting talk
Alison Byrne, Private Sector Team Leader, Scottish Executive

Voluntary landlord accreditation - a national scheme?
John Blackwood, Director, Scottish Association of Landlords
Phil Rowsby, Housing Strategy Officer, Scottish Rural Property and Business Association

The Private Rented Housing Panel
Robert Buchan, Vice President, Private Rented Housing Panel

Afternoon workshop sessions

There were four options for delegates to select from as follows:

Tenancy deposits - good practice
John Blackwood, Scottish Association of Landlords

Tied tenancies and properties on tenanted farms
Jackie McCreery and Phil Rowsby, Scottish Rural Property and Business Association

Landlord registration
Clare Simpson, Shelter Scotland

Landlords and local authorities working together to improve quality
Mary Armitage, Falkirk Council and Martin Smith, Perth and Kinross Council