A MAJORITY of Scots believe tenants should be given stronger protections, an exclusive poll for The National has found.
The survey, conducted by Find Out Now, found that 63% of Scots believe Scotland should have stronger protections for those renting properties.
It comes after protections in place to cap rent rises at 12%, if the tenant referred the property to rent officers for adjudication, ended on April 1.
Tenants can still refer rises to rental officers, but decisions will be made depending on open market prices, as they were before the temporary rent freeze was brought in during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Housing (Scotland) Bill is currently making its way through Holyrood, and contains plans for rent controls. However, these will not come into effect until 2027.
The legislation would allow landlords to increase rents at the rate of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measure of inflation, plus 1%, up to a maximum increase of 6%.
Find Out Now polled 1417 Scottish adults between April 7-11 for the survey.
The question put to respondents was: “In Scotland, rent increases were capped at 12% per year. That ended on April 1. Do you think Scotland needs stronger protections for renters?”
A total of 63% responded Yes, with the figure remaining 60% and above for all age groups. Those aged 65-74 were most in favour, with 67% responding Yes.
Conservative voters were least likely to support stronger protections (48%), while SNP voters were most in favour (78%).
Ruaraidh Dempster, Living Rent secretary, said of the findings: “It is clear from this data that the majority of Scotland agrees – everyone deserves access to a safe, secure affordable home.
“For years tenants in the private rented sector have been left behind and ignored as rents in the private sector skyrocket whilst our living conditions have decreased.
“Support for stronger protections for renters has to mean introducing rent controls that bring rents down, extending measures such as Awaab’s Law that force landlords to complete repairs in a reasonable timeframe from the social sector to the private sector and introducing strict penalties for landlords who break the rules.
“Landlords are organised, well-funded, and already threatening legal action if rent controls dent their profits. As MSPs scrutinise and debate the housing bill, they need to ignore landlords’ empty threats and legislate to introduce strong, effective legislation that brings rents down and improves our housing quality.”
An investigation by The National previously found that hundreds of landlords had attempted to raise rents above the 12% limit despite the protection measures being in place.
Our analysis revealed stark figures, including a case in Falkirk where one landlord tried to raise a tenant’s rent from £520 to £1150 (121%).
Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman added: "All over Scotland there are renters living in totally unacceptable conditions and with little power to do anything about it.
"Despite some improvements, and temporary protections secured by the Scottish Greens, exploitation in the sector is rife and the scale of rent hikes is totally unsustainable.
"The upcoming Housing Bill can and must be a watershed moment for renters rights and must offer support and hope for the many households and families who need it."
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Scotland already has some of the strongest rights in the UK for tenants, but we want to improve the renting experience even more to create an affordable, high-quality and fair rented sector.
“We know that there is a need for longer term action on rents to ensure a fairer system for tenants – that is why we are taking forward measures in the Housing Bill to support the introduction of longer-term rent control where this is needed.
“Supporting tenants is a priority for the Scottish Government and we will continue to engage and work with stakeholders, including tenants’ groups.”
We previously told how our exclusive polling found that Scotland would vote for independence by a significant majority were a second referendum held tomorrow.
It also predicted a huge pro-independence majority of 29 MSPs after next year's Holyrood elections.
