Housing (Scotland) Bill passes Stage 1 — what's next?
The Housing (Scotland) Bill passed Stage 1 in the Scottish Parliament today, 28 November 2024, despite strong opposition against rent controls.
HOUSING (SCOTLAND) BILL – STAGE 1 RESULT
The Housing (Scotland) Bill passed Stage 1 in the Scottish Parliament today, 28 November 2024, following the publication of the Stage 1 report on 14 November 2024. All MSPs in the Scottish Parliament had the opportunity to debate the Bill.
During the debate the Bill came up against quite a lot of strong opposition against rent controls and Arianne Burgess, MSP, from the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee criticised the Scottish Government for failure to come to Parliament with fully developed legislation and stated that continuing to conduct consultation during the scrutiny of the Bill undermined their ability to consider the measures properly.
Whilst the Scottish Conservatives refused to support it due to the detrimental impact on housing investment.
Propertymark continues to vigorously campaign for urgent action to amend the Bill with measures to increase housing supply and balance the market to ensure fairer outcomes for tenants, landlords, and the wider housing sector.
Rent control alone is not the solution to Scotland's housing challenges. Echoing Propertymark’s briefing to MSPs before the debate, Meghan Gallacher, Conservative MSP, called on the Housing Minister to admit that the Scottish Government’s rent control policy has driven up rents, priced thousands of Scots out of their homes, and resulted in the loss of thousands of private rented houses and flats. Additionally, she drew attention to the risk that billions of pounds of investment will be lost as a result of permanent rent controls, worsening the housing emergency.
PRS STAKEHOLDER GROUP MEETING WITH THE HOUSING MINISTER
Propertymark has been invited to meet the Minister for Housing on Thursday 5 December to discuss the Bill at the PRS Stakeholder Group. We are keen to hear your views so we can provide a full representation. Please email the Policy and Campaigns Team at policy@propertymark.co.uk with your input.
We will also continue to engage with MSPs and our Regional Executives and we encourage you to have your say in your own words by contacting your MSP.
Significant amendments to the legislation are needed if the Scottish Government want to raise property standards and make renting more affordable.
Source – Timothy Douglas, Head of Policy and Campaigns, Propertymark