Call for rent controls and more social housing

‘Soaring’ rents in Argyll require a system of rent controls, a Highlands and Islands MSP has said.

Private sector rental statistics released by the Scottish Government show 10 out of 18 areas in Scotland recorded an increase above UK inflation of 1.5 per cent between September 2020 and 2021.

Looking at two-bedroom homes, which make up 49 per cent of rental accommodation in Scotland, rents in Argyll and Bute rose 0.9 per cent. On average, rental prices rose by 0.6 per cent in the past year in Scotland and 23.5 per cent in the past decade.

Between 2010 and 2021, the average rent for a two-bedroom property in Argyll and Bute increased by 15.8 per cent. Over this longer term, average rents in Argyll and Bute rose by less than the rate of inflation across all property sizes.

Highlands and Islands MSP Ariane Burgess, the Scottish Greens housing spokesperson, said: ‘Many constituents in Argyll and Bute, along with tenants across the country, have faced eye-watering rent rises. We cannot leave something as fundamental as people’s homes to market forces.

‘It is astonishing rents continued to rise in the pandemic, when demand was low and people were struggling with reduced income. If landlords won’t lower rents in these conditions, when will they?’

Green MSP and tenants’ rights minister Patrick Harvie said: ‘We have committed to tackling high rents by implementing a national system of rent controls by the end of 2025. We will provide people with more secure, stable, affordable tenancies with improved standards of accommodation.’

Alison Watson, director of Shelter Scotland, said: ‘The housing system in Scotland is broken. We need to give hope to struggling families by building more social housing.’

In September, Argyll and Bute Council approved a new housing strategy to build more than 1,000 affordable homes over the next five years, including 343 in 2021/22.