Green Party MSPs have urged cross-party support for emergency rent control measures in Scotland, warning that tenants are being exposed to “brutal hikes” in private rents.
The party has tabled an amendment to the upcoming Housing Bill debate in Holyrood, calling for immediate protections to be introduced ahead of longer-term reforms contained in the legislation.
Temporary safeguards on rent rises, first brought in by former housing minister Patrick Harvie in 2022, expired earlier this year. The measures, introduced during the SNP-Green power-sharing agreement, initially capped most in-tenancy rent increases. They were later replaced by a rent adjudication system limiting hikes to 12% if challenged by tenants.
The system was scrapped by the SNP in April following its split with the Greens, a move the party says has left tenants “at the mercy of a broken housing market.”
Campaigners, including the renters’ union Living Rent, claim that since protections were lifted some landlords have demanded increases of more than 30%, with reports of proposed rises as high as 88%.
Green MSP Maggie Chapman, who will present the amendment, said renters were now being “punished and exploited by rogue landlords.”
“The Housing Bill will deliver important protections when it comes into force, but too many people cannot afford to wait,” she said. “We are bringing forward amendments to restore immediate safeguards and stop the astronomical hikes being forced on households across Scotland.”
Chapman accused ministers of giving landlords a “free hand” to raise rents before new controls take effect, and called on MSPs from all parties to support the proposals.
“The rental market is already broken and leaves too many people spending over half their income on housing,” she added. “We need urgent action to rein in landlord power, end exploitation, and provide tenants with the stability and peace of mind they desperately need.”