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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

  • Allison Kerper
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:12:15 +0000
  • Jac Connell
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:11:32 +0000
    Quality, clean homes for ling term rentals.
  • Roslyn Carrigan
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:11:31 +0000
    Affordable rent
  • Lyndsey McGarrigle
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:10:57 +0000
  • Margaret Morton
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:10:40 +0000
    Housing repair been waiting for 7 yrs for windows to be done
  • Amy Fegan
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:10:36 +0000
    Appropriate rent prices
  • Valerie Hachemi
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:10:31 +0000
    Rent should be according to the min wage
  • Fiona Murray
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:10:29 +0000
  • Mhairi Webster
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:10:04 +0000
  • Audrey Gillies
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:09:53 +0000
    Affordable homes that dont cost over half of a monthly income; no penalties for decorating/altering a home to how you want it to look (see European models of leaving the property as you received it); allowing pets; a cap on buy-to-airbnb properties as these often lie vacant for long periods and saturate neighbourhoods with short-term lets and rent hikes.
  • Fionnbarr Byrne
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:09:44 +0000
  • Calum Bannerman
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:09:39 +0000
    Affordable, quality homes that we can live in and feel like we are at home.
  • John McIntosh
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:09:37 +0000
    more affordable rented homes to be provided
  • rebecca a crawford
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:09:25 +0000
    Help control rents and help support decent landlords so it is easier and fairer for everyone.
  • Grace Douglas
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:08:51 +0000
    More affordable better maintained rental properties.
  • Esther Mykytyn
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:08:40 +0000
    Stop increase in rents as wages stagnate
  • Aoife Campbell-Franks
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:08:02 +0000
    rent control and stronger voices for tenants
  • Helen Sinclair
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:07:51 +0000
  • C A Davidson
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:07:45 +0000
    Accountability and the responsibility" its in hand , we had a meeting about this" just delaying tactics give job numbers and dates something theyare very reluctant to do ,as for contacting them 3 out of 20 phone calls answered or your talking to answering machine
  • Adam Clarke
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:07:25 +0000
  • Noah Noble
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:06:59 +0000
    rent controls
  • Matthew Prichard
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:06:55 +0000
  • James Ormiston
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:06:42 +0000
    More affordable homes and more single bedroom homes too, I’m trying to downsize from a three bedroom house but I can’t find any available single bedroom houses.
  • Heather Lowrie
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:06:22 +0000
    Homes that are ours!
  • Maureen Naughton
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:06:03 +0000
    Social rents that do not exceed the limit of Rent Rebates; Lower Private Rent limits eg means-tested or at least realistic limits; more secure rental agreements; outlawing competetive practices for students
  • Phil Templeton
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:05:35 +0000
    Introduction of rent control
  • Kevan Harrow
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:05:01 +0000
    Rent cost controls
  • Jamie Bolland
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:04:37 +0000
  • SINEADrent Dunn
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:03:58 +0000
    Rent controls
  • Nicola Donaldson
    endorsed 2022-03-07 13:03:48 +0000
    Affordable Rent, Rent Controls