Inside Holyrood: Rent control will tackle the rural depopulation crisis by making housing more affordable and preventing young people being priced out of the communities they grew up in
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Housing is a fundamental human right, everyone deserves to live in a secure, affordable, and good quality home. For too long, tenants have been second class citizens, living in houses that they cannot make their homes.
During the pandemic we spent more time indoors than ever. Our surroundings and sense of belonging are essential to good mental health, so seemingly simple things like allowing tenants to decorate their homes and keep pets can uplift mood and alleviate loneliness.
Poor conditions have been far too common in the private rented sector, and we’ve seen some rents skyrocket, even during the pandemic.
Last winter, we saw evictions banned - this should be the case every winter, not just during a pandemic and firm action needs to be taken against landlords who evict illegally – whatever the time of year.
I wrote about housing as a human right during the Holyrood elections which is why I was delighted to support Patrick Harvie, Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights launch the consultation on the Draft New Deal for Tenants in December.
This New Deal for Tenants may be new to us, but it simply brings us in line with many fellow European countries who have long protected tenants with measures such as rent controls, rights I also had when I live in New York City.
Reforming the Private Rented Sector requires bringing everyone involved to the table to tackle difficult problems, which will be vital for the long-term wellbeing of tenants.
Landlords will benefit too, in turn, from tenants who are invested in the properties they live in and connected to the communities surrounding them.
These changes will not just be felt in urban areas, rural and island communities will see action taken on residential mobile homes, agricultural and tied tenancies.
Rent controls in these areas will also tackle the rural depopulation crisis by making housing more affordable and preventing young people being priced out of the communities they grew up in.
I am hopeful that the new rent guarantor scheme for estranged young people will help some of our most vulnerable people live authentically and break free of abuse.
With the review of grounds to end private tenancies and action to make it easier to exit a joint tenancy tenancies will be fit for purpose and can adapt more easily to changes in life circumstances.
I will work with everyone involved to transform the rented housing sector to deliver for people, not profit, view houses as homes, and place wellbeing at the heart of Scotland’s housing policy.
You can participate in the consultation on the Scottish Government’s website by clicking here
You can access more political news here
