Tenants call for rent cap extension at demonstration in Haddington

The demonstration outside Mr McLennan’s office in Haddington coincided with the sending of an open letter to First Minister Humza Yousaf, Minister for Tenants rights, Patrick Harvie, and Mr McLennan, that hits out at what protestors say is the failure of the government to protect tenants after the rent cap ends.

From September 6, 2022, a temporary cap on rent increases during private tenancies was introduced with the cap set at three per cent. This cap will expire on March 31.

The open letter, co-signed by several trade union leaders from the Scottish Trade Union Congress, UNISON, Unite, GMB, UCU, the RMT, PCS, and the CWU, calls for further protections for tenants and calls for the government to “act now” to prevent “disastrous consequences” for tenants such as escalating evictions, rapid increases in homelessness, and an overall rise in poverty.

The letter says that the ‘transitional measures’ proposed by the government following the end of the rent cap are confusing and difficult to enforce. They say this will lead to people facing unaffordable rent increases up and down the country, which will act as de facto evictions and push more people into poverty.

As a result, they say that tenants will be “pushed to the edge by the end of the rent cap” and that “Scotland is facing a tidal wave of evictions.”

Data from the Scottish Government published in November revealed that between 2010 and 2023, rents across Scotland have increased on average 51.6 per cent. In the Lothians rent increased 79.3 per cent.

Ruth Gilbert, Living Rent’s national campaign’s officer, said: “Tenants will be pushed to the edge by the end of the rent cap and eviction ban. The rent cap provided a temporary bandage over a growing crisis, but it has not addressed the fundamental issue that rents are out of control.

Protestors gathered outside East Lothian MSP and Housing Minister Paul McLennan's Haddington office calling for an extension to the rent cap and eviction ban set to end on March 31

“Government regulation is simply not strong enough. Landlords are exploiting every loophole and opportunity to increase rent and displace tenants while blaming the existing rent cap for an out of control market.

“Rents in Scotland have continued to rise in line with the rest of the UK because the temporary measures don’t go far enough, and don’t apply between tenancies. The solution to this is a robust system of rent controls tied to the property, not the tenancy, which protects all tenants.

“With the Scottish Government receiving criticism from across the board due to its cuts to affordable housing and its ending of the rent cap, it is clear it urgently needs to review its housing strategy, reverse its cuts to affordable housing, and introduce a national rent cap and eviction ban. Without this we will see a tidal wave of rent increases, de-facto evictions and a sharp rise in homelessness.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "Our emergency legislation, including the rent cap, has led the way at a time when rents have been rising across the UK.

"It has applied since October 2022, during the period of the most acute cost of living pressures, but, as ministers have discussed with Living Rent, the emergency nature of the legislation, which was approved by parliament, means the rent cap cannot be extended beyond March 31.

“However, that does not mean that rents just go straight back to free market at that point. From April 1 we are proposing temporary changes to the way rents are decided to ensure tenants continue to have additional protection so they do not face the very sudden rises that could apply if rents were to return to open market rates in one step. This will still provide far greater protection than anywhere else in the UK.”