Scottish landlords could be prevented from evicting tenants for the first 12 months of a tenancy, under a proposal set to be voted on at Holyrood next week — a move property owners warn would be “shocking” and could drive many out of the rental market.
The amendment, brought forward by Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman, would mean landlords could no longer remove tenants within the first year in order to sell up or move themselves or their families into the property. It would also extend notice periods from the current one to three months to a flat four months.
Ms Chapman said the changes were about bringing “peace of mind” to renters. “Nobody should be moving into a new home one day only to be threatened with eviction the next,” she told The Herald. “Our housing market is broken and rigged in favour of a landlord lobby that has had its way for too long. My amendments are about giving people security and dignity.”
But the plans have provoked an angry response from private landlords, who argue the proposal would amount to the most severe restriction on their rights in decades. Industry groups warn that combined with looming rent controls, the new measures could trigger an exodus of landlords from the private rental sector — shrinking supply at a time of record demand.
The amendment will be debated as part of the Housing Bill, which reaches its final stage at Holyrood next week. Central to the legislation are proposals allowing local councils to designate rent control areas, capping rent rises to inflation plus one percent, up to a maximum of six percent. Local authorities would be required to assess markets and make recommendations on rent control by May 2027.
Earlier this week, The Herald revealed Housing Secretary Mairi McAllan is preparing a counter-amendment to exempt build-to-rent developments from rent controls, in a sign of the political balancing act ministers face.
Ms Chapman, however, insists Scotland should follow England in strengthening tenant protections. “If the Scottish Government does not support our plans, it will need to explain to Scots why they don’t deserve the same protections renters south of the border will shortly be getting,” she said.
Landlord representatives argue the Greens’ vision risks backfiring. “Proposals like this are deeply alarming,” one industry source told The Herald. “They treat landlords not as partners in providing homes but as villains. The inevitable result will be fewer rental properties, higher rents and more pressure on the very people this bill is supposed to help.”
The clash comes as Scotland grapples with a declared national housing emergency. Ministers have cited homelessness pressures, growing numbers in temporary accommodation and long social housing waiting lists as evidence of the crisis.
With the stage three vote looming, MSPs will have to choose between siding with tenants who say they need stronger protections, or landlords who insist they are being pushed out of the market by policies they describe as punitive and unfair.