Tenant farmhouses ‘need £278m to bring them up to standard’

Up to £278 million needs to be spent on Scotland’s stock of rented farmhouses in order to bring them up to standard according to a Scottish Government survey released this week.

The findings, which looked tenanted units, also showed a far higher proportion of single glazing and, of the 50 per cent with central heating, a high proportion was oil-fired.

The survey was conducted after MSPS involved in taking evidence in the run up to the 2016 Land Reform Act had been dismayed by the state of some houses on tenanted farms – where landlords are not legally required to meet the same standards as they would under domestic leases.

NFU Scotland policy manager Gemma Cooper said that the report indicated a general need to improve the condition of tenanted housing on farms – but added that given the size and age of many farmhouses, the cost of such work could be substantial.

“What is also clear is the low level of understanding as to where responsibility for repairs and replacement lies, with the tenant responsible for repairing fixed equipment and the landlord responsible for replacing fixed equipment,” said Cooper.

“Where this can become difficulis where a lack of repair results in the need for a replacement. We need a system which is fair to both landlords and tenants, and this is not going to be an easy thing to achieve.”

She said that the industry would have to consider at the nuances of the issue and discuss the matter with the Tenant Farming Commissioner.

Sarah Jane Laing, executive director of the landowners’ organization, Scottish Land and Estates said that her organsation would “work constructively” towards an outcome:

“Given the complexity of agricultural tenancy law surrounding farmhouses and repairing obligations, dealing with the issue may not be straightforward – but hopefully we can agree a way forward.”