Inquiry into level of rents

Stirling Council has approved plans to begin to gather evidence on the need for a rent pressure zone in Stirling City Centre.

The Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016 introduced the new Private Residential tenancy for all new lets created after December 1, 2017.

The Act included a new provision for a local authority to make application to Scottish Ministers for the designation of rent pressure zones.

Such zones may be necessary if rents begin to rise too fast and too far in any given community, causing undue hardship to tenants.

Any rent control would not apply to any existing assured, short assured or regulated tenancies. The zone would affect only tenants under existing private residential tenancies.

Future private residential tenancies would be unaffected.

Councillor Danny Gibson, Stirling Labour’s environment and housing spokesperson, said:“A rent pressure zone doesn’t stop rents rising, it simply limits the rate and amount by which they can rise in any given year.

“As a ward councillor for the city centre, I hear anecdotal evidence from tenants about steep rent rises and I see genuine fear about being able to afford to stay in their current home in the future. What we’ve done at committee is to try and take the guess work out of the picture and begin to gather evidence on what is happening in the rental market in Stirling.

“Stirling has plenty of landlords who work in partnership with their tenants and I want to ensure that continues.

“However, landlords who don’t want to live up to their responsibilities with repairs, or squeeze as much out of people’s pockets as they can, should take note that we’re watching them and we will ensure that tenants are treated fairly now and in the future.”

At national level, Scottish Labour has made reforming housing a priority and recently unveiled plans for a `Mary Barbour’law, which would limit rent rises with a link to wages and ensure they are affordable, as well as ensure that all private rented properties meet proper standards for health, safety and energy efficiency.