Contact helps to improve tenancy relationships

Despite a number of headlines telling of rifts between landlords and farm tenants, the level of dissatisfaction between the two sides is relatively low, according to Scotland’s Tenant Farming Commissioner Bob Mcintosh.

Speaking at the annual general meeting of the Scottish Agricultural Arbiters and Valuers Association (SAAVA) in Cumbernauld yesterday, Mcintosh said a recent survey revealed that only 6 per cent of tenants and 1 per cent of landlords were experiencing poor or very poor tenant/landlord relations.

The survey also revealed that regular contact along with face-to-face meetings and less use of agents generally improved relations between owners and tenants.

In another finding, tenants on larger units with longer tenancies were found to be more dissatisfied than others.

Land agents have often been blamed for the poor relationships between the 0 Bob Mcintosh welcomed relative lack of acrimony two sides but Mcintosh said the current review into the conduct of agents had revealed relatively low levels of dissatisfaction. Only 17 per cent of tenants and 8 per cent of landlords expressed dis-satisfaction with the conduct of agents.

“I think in some ways it’s a good result because it shows that the whole system is not burst. However, there is a bit of work to do to get it better,” said Macintosh

He then took a swipe at some politicians, stating: “It certainly does not justify some of the stuff that was coming out of the [Scottish Parliament’s] rural affairs committee.”

Full results from the surveys of landlords and tenants would be published later this week along with a consultation seeking views on the issue. Following this a full report with recommendations for the Scottish Government will be published by the end of next month.

Meanwhile, the latest agricultural land occupation survey for the year to November 30, 2017, reveals a rough balance between land flowing into the let sector and land leaving it.

The survey, conducted by SAAVA and its English counterparts CAAV, covers 142 units on 35,179 acres with changes involving decisions about the letting or occupation of agricultural land in Scotland.

Of the acreage in question, only 289 acres was lost in the tenanted sector in the past year.

CAAV secretary and adviser Jeremy Moody said a key finding from the latest survey was the sheer predominance of bare land lettings in the year.

More than three quarters – 78 per cent – of the lettings in 2017 were for bare land and only 12 per cent included a dwelling.