Tenants rights' campaigners stage protests across Scotland demanding rent controls

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Tenants rights' campaigners have staged protests across Scotland, demanding the First Minister make rent controls a top priority.Living Rent held rallies in Glasgow, Aberdeen and outside Bute House in Edinburgh, taking the fight for rent controls to the First Minister's doorstep.

The union is demanding John Swinney continue to push for effective rent controls.It comes after Ministers declared a national housing emergency and as the parliament is consulting on the Housing Bill.But following the collapse of the Bute House agreement in April, campaigners fear proposals for rent controls could be watered down amid calls from landlords for a 'pragmatic' approach.Living Rent says that tenants have been “pushed to the edge by the end of the rent cap” and argue controls are "desperately needed".It says that the Scottish government needs to reaffirm its commitment to a robust system of rent controls that can help to bring rents down.Monthly rental prices have soared as landlords hiked up how much tenants must pay in the last year.

Private rents have increased by 6.8% in the twelve months to January.Figures from the Scottish Government published in November revealed that between 2010 and 2023, rents across Scotland have increased on average 51.6%.Living Rent and housing charities have warned that low earners pay over half of their monthly wages on rent, leaving a third struggling.

And it's estimated one in ten households in poverty are experiencing ‘very low’ food security, with meals skipped, or food cut because the family could not afford enough to eat.Living Rent’s National Campaign’s Officer, Ruth Gilbert said:“Tenants have been pushed to the edge by the end of the rent cap and eviction ban.