Labour calls on SNP to protect private tenants

Private sector tenants should be given some of the same legal protection those in council homes benefit from, Labour has argued.

Ken Macintosh wants clarification on what the Private Tenancies Bill entails. Picture: John Devlin

Ken Macintosh highlighted the problems of rising rent bills and insecure accommodation facing some of the 312,000 households who rent their home from a private landlord.

With many people unable to buy a home, and with more than 150,000 waiting for a council or housing association property, the Labour MSP called on the Scottish Government to act.

In her programme for government last week, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the SNP administration would introduce a Private Tenancies Bill which will include provisions for controls to be brought in, in “pressure areas”.

But Mr Macintosh said the Scottish Government has “yet to spell out what will be in the Private Tenancies Bill”.

He said: “There are more than 150,000 people waiting to find a social rented house in Scotland. The number of new homes being built has fallen by 40% since 2007 and the percentage of families owning their own home is also declining, with affordability a huge problem.”