People are debating will this work? They are missing the point. The main point here is this ! It doesn’t need to work! This is not about solving a problem. It’s about an ideology of “eating the rich” where the greens feel private landlords have too much wealth. It’s also about power. That’s why the Bute house agreement has been mentioned, “the Greens have power we can do these things “ and they are absolutely right on that one. The country should be asking why a party with less than 0.1% of the vote should have this power. Simple, the SNP gave them it to gain their majority. By the time decent landlords pay interest, factoring, insurance, management, repair and maintenance costs. And now redecoration every time a rental becomes vacant as the tenant will have decorated in their personal stye. There will be no margin left in it. So watch the rental market decline even further. These properties will no longer go to those who cannot afford a deposit, a mortgage or require the flexibility to move every year or so. They will go to the highest bidder where the bank of mum and dad provide a deposit and a building society lend 4 times income. Great news if your a bank or a lawyer. Dreadful news if you need a rental. Who votes for these people? In this case almost no one.
Frances Morris
7mo
there is already very little margin. High mortgage interest rates (and we are not paying off a mortgage - most are interest only), 6% second property tax, Repairing Standards requiring upgrades this year, insurance increases, looming EPC requirements that are not fit for period properties, all on top of a rent cap..... one of my properties had to be refinanced last year went from £80 per month mortgage to £283. rent cap meant an increase of £16 to the rent. (will be 12% max increase this year). This is why landlords are ending leases so they can let the property out at the market rate. I haven't done that, but there is very little in the pot now to do the updates needed for the Repair Standards. Here is the kicker - I need to prove that I have done everything possible to meet the requirement to have a lock on the communal entrances, that is able to be unlocked remotely. The block is part owned by council, who have said they will not agree to implementing this. BUT to comply with the repair standard, I have to get a quote, and go through the process of formally asking the council to pay their share, when I already know they won't. Waste of time and effort all round with no way to apply for exemptions
Sandy Gilmour
7mo
Very well said. We didn't vote for The Bute Agreement it was given to us a against our will. You can say about this as the SNP said about BREXIT.
Alan Quinn
7mo
100% Doomed to fail for tenants (higher rents over time and less choice), landlords (less profit, more rent arrears and extended eviction timescales) and the Government (less private investment in Scottish housing stock, less house building, less jobs, less tax, more homelessness and short term accommodation), and the government will be left with the problem of housing people with less houses to do so. This is a bad policy for everyone, which means it’s guaranteed to be passed by our useless Scottish Politicians. Don’t vote SNP or Greens.
Stuart White
7mo
Great post but they won’t listen because they don’t listen. They don’t ask, they don’t consult, they only have their own petty agenda policies to promote I was in the housing market 20 years ago and got out as it was plain to see where SG were taking it For all the tinkering and tampering with the market they have made housing an even worse crisis, they have increased cost for every tenant and they have created even more homelessness This madness needs to be stopped
Kevin Moran
7mo
The SNP were always economically illiterate, but the coalition with the Greens has turned the economic illiteracy up to 11.
One vertically challenged persons (careful how I describe him) student ideology who has the power to ruin people's livelihood and at the same time making hard working tenants homeless. Retarded thinking at its best.
Ross Neilson
7mo
The SNP/Greens have been nothing short of a disaster for Scotland since the bute house agreement was conjured up. Unfortunately people will still vote for them as they believe independence trumps all, regardless of how much they destroy the Scottish economy, it’s also worth noting the majority of these disastrous policies and bills have no impact on the core voters and their ilk, it’s very tactical and simply aimed at those who try to better themselves and work hard to better themselves, not remotely aimed at those parties core voters.
Charles Burnett
7mo
Their aim appears to be pitting landlords against tenants and causing conflict instead of finding ways where they can somehow work together and make the housing crisis better rather than worse
Company Director, NED & Trustee
7moIt’s basically ‘communism’. The level of state interference and control over the free market will lead to absolute disaster for the Scottish community. However, a core of the voting public don’t care and believe it’s not ScotGov’s fault, when it patently is. They’ve not built enough homes. And then we have PassivHaus standard that will destroy Scottish SME developers so politicians’ can ‘make a name for themselves’ but will take away people’s aspirations and hope let along their ability to afford a home to rent or buy. PassivHaus will likely be delivered by a reducing cartel of ‘favoured’ government supported framework suppliers and volumetric house builders who can charge what they like. And the marginal energy cost savings (a few hundred quid pa) against established and proven and reliable MMC ‘closed-panel’ systems is set against a huge increase the equipping, training, labour and capital cost of PassivHaus standard. Why would you go from a £200k GDV to, up to a, £300k GDV for an energy cost saving of around £500 per annum? It’s just a huge experiment by those with ‘no skin in the game’ who can ‘walk away’ when Scottish house building collapses even more so than now!