Response to the consultation on the Fair Rents (Scotland) Bill

Shelter Scotland welcomes the opportunity to respond to the consultation on the proposed Fair Rents (Scotland) Bill. This Bill will allow the Scottish Parliament to explore the critical issue of high rents with key stakeholders. So, we believe that there is merit in this Bill – albeit a step along the way to reform rather than the final word – and parliamentary scrutiny should provide an opportunity for further clarifications.

We hope that Parliament will use this Bill as an opportunity to discuss with key stakeholders how to effectively address market failings, which we believe can result in tenants paying higher rents than the quality of accommodation justifies and blunts incentives for landlords to improve quality to justify price. We hope that this work will be built upon, and further reform will be considered. There is an urgent need to address the high rent levels in hot spots like Edinburgh and Glasgow, and some specific localities where rents have been increasing way above inflation for years and are already unaffordable to large numbers of people.