Labour want ‘exploitative rent rises’ crackdown

BANNING “rip off” rent rises for private tenants will bring the biggest benefit to low paid Scots, Labour has said.

More than two-thirds (68 per cent) of tenants earn less than the average weekly wage in Scotland. Picture: TSPL

More than two-thirds (68 per cent) of tenants earn less than the average weekly wage in Scotland, analysis by the party has found.

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Labour wants to introduce rent caps in Scotland with a crackdown on “rogue landlords.”

Labour wants to crack down on “exploitative rent rises” in the private sector.

The number of households in the private rented sector living in poverty has more than doubled in a decade to over 100,000, with one in four Scots who live in poverty living in the private rented sector.

Labour housing spokesman Michael McMahon said: “In 2014 the SNP voted 3 times against banning rip off rent rises. It is now clear who they were ripping off the process – low paid tenants across Scotland.

•Landlords cash in as Scottish rents surge

“The private rented sector has exploded in size in the last decade now standing at over 300,000 households in Scotland. This growth has come at a time when social housing waiting lists stretch into the hundreds of thousands and the property ladder is simply unreachable for too many.

“We have to reform the private rented sector to make it work for tenants. When you’re living wage to wage the last thing you need is a bad landlord ripping you off with an exploitative rent hike.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman person said a consultation on a new tenancy for the private rented sector closes this weekend.

“We recognise that rising rents can be a problem in some areas,” she said.

“We would encourage everyone with an interest to share their views quickly as the deadline is on December 28th, and help us develop a private renting sector that is an attractive and affordable housing option for anyone who wants to live in it.”

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