Agents continue campaign against rent controls despite legal setback

Propertymark says it’s delivering a powerful message to the Scottish Government - despite losing a recent key legal case.

The agents trade body - along with two landlord organisations - recently lost a court bid to seek Judicial Review of the Scottish Government’s rent cap legislation.

However, despite the legal decision, Propertymark is urging Scottish Ministers to explore the evidence both from the UK and across the world. 

A statement from the trade body says: “Proposals should be abandoned with a focus on other actions to make the private rented sector more affordable, ensuring there is an adequate housing supply that meets increasing demand and tackling existing inequalities of income and wealth, including:

- “Reducing the six per cent surcharge Land and Buildings Transaction Tax puts on buy-to-let property. LBTT is a tax applied to residential and commercial land and buildings transactions (including commercial properties and commercial leases) where a chargeable interest is acquired. It replaced Stamp Duty in Scotland in 2015.  

- "Building more social housing.

- "Focusing more action on returning empty homes to use.”

Timothy Douglas, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Propertymark, comments: "The ongoing impact of the Cost of Living legislation and future planned rent control continues to drive up costs for renters alongside the fact that the increased costs that many landlords face are being ignored. 

“From recent engagement with the Scottish Government, it is still unclear what will be expected of local authorities under any new rent control rules in terms of rent data collection as well as the additional support they need to enforce new and existing laws. 

“The huge demand for private rented property must be tackled by the Scottish Government but they can only do this if they take a holistic view of the sector that includes the impact on welfare, tax reforms and planned energy efficiency targets."