Survey launched into the state of tenants’ housing

A countrywide survey into the condition of tenanted farmhouses and cottages – which marks the first step in Scottish Government proposals to bring the quality of agricultural housing conditions closer to that of other rented accommodation – was launched this week.

Farmhouses and other dwellings held under an agricultural tenancy have always been exempt from the Housing Acts, with the landlord’s responsibility being limited to renewing and replacing what was provided at the start of the lease.

However, MSPS involved in guiding the process of land reform had been “genuinely shocked” by the state of some farmhouses as they took evidence from the tenanted sector – resulting in a call for the area to be investigated.

Welcoming the move, the chairman of the Scottish Tenant Farmers Association (STFA), Christopher Nicholson, said that his organisation had been concerned for a number of years about the state of some farmhouses – and the conditions in which some tenants were expected to live.

“Improvements are expected to be carried out by the tenant.”

“In practice, most tenants have improved farmhouses and other cottages to bring them up to an acceptable standard, and, indeed there are some landlords who have also invested in housing accommodation,” he conceded.

However, he added that there were still many tenants occupying houses which he said fell well below minimum repairing standards and whose landlords were reluctant to carry out even their basic obligations to keep buildings wind and watertight.

“In these situations, tenants have been unwilling to invest in improving the farmhouse without any guarantees of compensation at the end of their tenancies, especially where landlords have not fulfilled their side of the bargain,” said Nicholson.

Nicholson said that while responding to the survey might not be top priority for many tenants who were currently struggling with harvest and other autumn work, other family members could “seize the initiative” and complete and return the survey.

“This is the first comprehensive survey to be carried out on the condition of the housing stock on tenanted holdings and will help give an indication of the scale of the task to bring all tenanted housing up to acceptable standards,” he said.

“Housing standards have improved immeasurably over the last few decades and there is no reason why the tenanted sector should lag behind the rest of society.”

He added that landlords should be prepared to treat their tenants’ improvements as eligible for compensation should the tenancy come to an end.