ARLA has said it is totally opposed to the introduction of rent controls in Scotland.
The body has responded to a consultation on the Fair Rents Bill, which seeks to cap private rents across Scotland so that annually they cannot rise at over 1% above inflation.
ARLA says in its response to the official consultation that rent caps will reduce supply and have a negative effect on housing quality because landlords will have less money to reinvest in their properties.
It said that existing provisions, within the Private Housing (Tenancies) Act 2016, allowing landlords to raise rents once a year, are sufficient.
The response says that ARLA is already seeing fewer landlords entering the market and more leaving.
ARLA also says that tenants will suffer because of less choice in the market and poorer quality of housing.
It calls on Scottish MSPs to consider the historical impact of rent control before making any decision on the proposed Bill.
Rent controls are favoured in England by the Labour party and the Mayor of London.
The problem that we have is that all these so-called law makers own their own large expensive homes and take home obscene salaries for doing next to nothing. If they had to spend one month living like us lesser mortals, they’d very quickly realise how damn difficult it is.
By making it increasingly difficult to find rented accommodation, they are increasing the number of people – young and old – who may find themselves homeless.
As a tenant and a Property Manager for an Estate Agent, I’ve seen a drop in my housing stock, landlords for whom even basic repairs are fast becoming a considered expenditure and several who have just thrown up their hands in despair and removed their properties, putting them up for sale instead.
When the new Tenant Fee Act came in, it was lauded as being the fix-all for tenants. It may well be. But it certainly wasn’t for landlords who voted with their feet and properties.
These “law makers” need to sit down with Estate Agents, close their mouths, open their minds and, definitely, pin back their ears to listen what the industry is telling them. It is a fool who thinks he knows everything and, from where I’m sat, this government is made up entirely of fools.
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I can’t make up my mind about this. I wasn’t around when previous rent controls were in place, but I have heard that it was not good. Extremely not good. However, with the access to information we have now, and the way the world has worked, part of me thinks that it might be better this time. However, I also think that the current ‘once every 12 months’ is acceptable and we rarely increase by more than 5% of the current rent.
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