We have launched a report that includes analysis of rent increase decisions between April 2024 and February 2025 as well as a survey of private tenants conducted between January and February 2025. Together they provide a picture of people' experiences of rent increases in Scotland over the last year and their fears for the year ahead.
Our analysis of decisions by Rent Service Scotland (RSS) found that, on average, they halved the rent increase proposed by the landlord. This was consistent with our survey which found that of those that challenged their rent increase, nearly to fifths saw their rent increase reduced to between 10 and 12% and a third saw it reduced to lower than 10%.
However our survey also found problems with the rent adjudication system. Nearly 80% of respondents did not challenge their rent increase which is all the more concerning as 42% of respondents had a rent increase of 11% or above.
The experiences from tenants who contested their rent increase and the analysis of RSS’s decisions show that the current enhanced protections should stay in place and be improved. As the decisions made by RSS over the last year highlight, both market rent and landlords proposed rent increases are on average double the amount allowed by RSS under its current system. Failing to retain the 12% cap when tenants challenge rent increases will lead to greater tenant hardship and an increasing number of people being forced out of their neighbourhoods, ending up homeless and struggling with their housing costs.
Last year, of those who received a rent increase, 60% of tenants had to cut back on their spending to afford their rent increase, half of which cut back on essential spending, like heat. The majority of respondents believed that they would face another rent increase in 2025 and nearly all of those respondents said that this had an impact on their mental health.
This government providing greater protections against rent increases now is crucial to prevent tenants from facing even greater costs and having more and more tenants unable to afford their rent.
