Years of rent hikes in Renfrewshire show why long-term rent controls ‘are so necessary’, says the area’s Scottish Green MSP, Ross Greer.
Scottish Government statistics show that between 2010 and 2023 average rents for a newly-let 2 bedroom flat in Renfrewshire and Inverclyde reached £638, an increase of 34.9%.
This comes after the Scottish Greens published a new bill in March which will introduce sweeping new rights and protections for tenants, including rent controls and the right to decorate and keep pets. Mr Greer is now urging MSPs from other parties to back the Greens’ bill in light of these local rent increases.
In 2022, Scottish Greens co-leader and Minister for Tenants Rights Patrick Harvie introduced an emergency law to cap rents and extend eviction protections during the cost of living crisis. Many households and families in Renfrewshire have saved hundreds of pounds as a result. However, the cap was not able to cover the rents set when a new tenant moved in and those have continued to rise, in line with rises across the UK. The emergency cap was also only possible as a temporary measure, ending on March 31st.
In the short term, new protections came into place from 1st April, limiting in-tenancy rent increases. Under these new temporary measures tenants must be given three months’ notice of any rent rise, which they will be able to challenge through a tribunal.
The bill introduced by the Scottish Greens would replace this with a permanent system of national rent controls, as well as a host of other measures to increase tenants’ rights, their protections of from eviction and exploitation by rogue landlords and to tackle homelessness.
Ross Greer, the Scottish Green MSP for Renfrewshire said: “There are few things as important as our homes, but the rent hikes we’ve seen in Renfrewshire have put many households and families under huge pressure.
“That’s why the temporary rent cap and protections introduced by the Scottish Greens have been so crucial. They provided support and stability, with families in Renfrewshire having saved hundreds of pounds.
“It was a bold decision that went far beyond anything we’ve seen from Westminster, where the Tories have spent 14 years offering huge giveaways to bankers, polluters and the super-rich at the same time as cutting the services we all rely on. Sadly, Starmer’s Labour have ruled out introducing rent controls before they have even taken office, so similar protections for English tenants are a long way off.
“Our bill here in Scotland will bring us in line with the rights and protections enjoyed by tenants across Europe. The huge increases in rents over recent years in Renfrewshire make clear how important this bill will be here. I’m proud the Scottish Greens have introduced it, working with our SNP partners in government, and I hope opposition MSPs will support it when Parliament considers it later this year.”