Skip navigation

A New Deal for Tenants: Rents Down, Rights Up!

  • Scotland’s tenants need homes we can afford, so that we’re not priced out of our communities.
  • We need security of tenure, not just a place we can stay for a while.
  • We need homes that are warm, so that heating them doesn’t cost the earth.
  • We need access to justice and better enforcement, so that we can defend ourselves when landlords treat us unfairly. 

The Scottish Government has promised to introduce rent controls and greater rights for tenants in this Parliament.
Between December 2021 and April 2022, the Scottish Government consulted on proposed changes to the law.

As Scotland's tenants union, we demanded:

  • AFFORDABLE HOMES: a point-based system of rent controls to bring down housing costs and improve housing quality and a greater supply of social housing

  • QUALITY HOMES: greater and clearer penalties for landlords who refuse to make repairs, as well as clearer incentives for improvements such as energy efficiency

  • SECURE HOMES: greater protections for tenants, including banning winter evictions, making all grounds discretionary and introducing meaningful penalties for breaches of the law

  • HOMES THAT ARE OURS: the right to make it ours by not facing undue restrictions on what we can do, such as having pets or redecorating

  • STRONGER VOICES FOR TENANTS: control over our homes, which means making rent consultation results binding, and ensuring we don’t face repercussions for exercising our rights

Get in touch if you want to get involved locally and push for change. 

6,152 endorsements
5,000 endorsements

Will you endorse Living Rent's response?


3379

  • Karen McDonald
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:58:09 +0000
    Affordable rents and decent places to live
  • Ola Olsinova
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:56:30 +0000
    Hard to chose just one. All the ones listed above are incredibly necessary. But perhaps holding landlords truly accountable for the state of their properties as well as point based rent system are a must.
  • Jenna Park
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:56:17 +0000
  • Ian Leggat
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:55:48 +0000
    Expanded council house building programme Built to highest standards
  • Thomas O'Brien
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:55:29 +0000
    Affordable, decent standard housing.
  • Sarra Kedir
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:55:28 +0000
  • Eona McCallum
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:55:10 +0000
  • Julianne McLeod
    endorsed via 2022-03-07 13:55:00 +0000
  • Bill Stevenson
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:54:51 +0000
  • Ho Lun Fredie Chan
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:54:31 +0000
    comprehensive rent control policy and regulation should be legislated as soon as possible to prevent skyrocket rise of rent in Edinburgh.


    Percentage of social House might be risen to at least 50% providing for local population in Edinburgh.


    Legal protection for tenants especially banning evictions..
  • Ciaran Febers
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:54:29 +0000
  • Laura Jack
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:53:40 +0000
    Affordable housing particularly when cost of living is rising
  • Stephen Bratton
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:53:31 +0000
    Private landlords are ripping of vulnerable people. New affordable rented accommodation should be a top priority for our government
  • Jordan Dow
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:53:30 +0000
    Power to the tenants
  • Daniel Lambe
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:53:16 +0000
  • jack guariento
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:53:06 +0000
  • Catriona Cunningham
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:52:45 +0000
    Fair rents. Proper insulation. Landlords who are known to tennants instead of hiding behind letting agencies.
  • George Hay
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:52:35 +0000
    Affordable rent, heating and electricity
  • Gavin Johnston
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:51:45 +0000
  • Jaclyn Daly
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:51:34 +0000
    Rent controls and also mid-market availability for mature aged students who don’t want to have to live in students flats just because they aren’t eligible for mid-market properties because of their student status.
  • Claire Johnson
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:50:54 +0000
  • David Kenvyn
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:50:00 +0000
    People need to have access to decent and affordable rented accommodation. It is a fundamental uman right to have a roof over your head, and somewhere you can afford to live.
  • África Moreno
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:49:25 +0000
  • Lesley Mckinlay
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:49:06 +0000
  • Alex Dickson
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:49:00 +0000
  • Mags Higgins
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:47:40 +0000
    Affordable housing, in good condition
  • Blair Rankine
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:47:14 +0000
    Immediately reduce Rents to match the wages of tenants, for warmer homes that are more energy efficient, and for better access to justice to hold exploitative landlords to account.
  • Brian Lindsay
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:47:10 +0000
  • Olivia Laumenech
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:47:09 +0000
  • Joe Gibson
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:46:04 +0000
    Rents down, permanently.

    Short term lets regulated and/or banned effectively.