Housing (Scotland) Bill — Stage 2

Stage 2 of the Housing (Scotland) Bill was completed at the end of June, with several amendments from MSPs and the Scottish Government being approved by the Scottish Parliament’s Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee. This webinar will dissect the amendments and look at what will happen next.

Following extensive Committee sessions and hours of debate, 699 amendments were tabled, including those drafted by Propertymark through our work with opposition MSPs.

Amendments agreed by the committee include

• An amendment so the rent cap will be CPI+1% up to a maximum of 6%, in any area designated for rent control.
• The end date of the first reporting period for the periodic assessment of rent conditions in Section 1 of the Bill will now be 31 May 2027 and not 30 November 2026 as originally set out.
• The Cabinet Secretary outlined the Scottish Government’s intention to release a consultation this calendar year on how to implement Awaab’s law for private tenants in Scotland and tackle issues such as property maintenance, damp, and mould.

Non-government amendments passed include

• An amendment tabled by Graham Simpson MSP to extend provisions of rent controls to student tenancies, thus bringing Purpose-Built Student Accommodation within the scope of the Bill.
• An amendment tabled by Meghan Gallacher MSP to consider the impact of rent control areas in rural areas by local authorities in their assessments.  
• An amendment tabled by Rachael Hamilton MSP, outlining that if a landlord intends to raise the rent during the tenancy (even outside a rent control area), they must provide a clear explanation for the increase within the terms of the tenancy agreement.

Speakers

Rory Cowan

Commercial and Property Litigator, BKF & Co

Rory is one of the leading providers of legal services to the Private Rented Sector (PRS) in Scotland. He provides legal services to a wide range of organisations operating in the PRS from small agencies to large UK-wide lettings agents, tenancy deposit schemes, rental guarantee insurers and bespoke software providers. Rory also operates the Scottish end of the Propertymark legal helpline and is the Chief Examiner for the Scottish Propertymark Qualifications. Rory also sits as a Legal Chair (judge) on the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland: Housing and Property Chamber, the specialist tribunal that adjudicates on all private tenancy disputes and claims including evictions and housing conditions in Scotland.

Timothy Douglas

Head of Policy and Campaigns, Propertymark

Timothy joined Propertymark in July 2015 and leads on the organisation’s policy and campaigns activity across Westminster, the devolved parliaments, and local authorities. He authored Propertymark’s The Future of Renting position paper and wrote Propertymark’s best practice guidance to help agents operate during the pandemic. Timothy also created the policy proposals for the Leasehold: A Life Sentence research report.

Before Propertymark, Timothy worked as a political advisor in Westminster for a former Business Minister and Government Whip and spent a period of time as a Caseworker and Researcher for Members of the European Parliament.

Miles Gilham

Managing Director, Glenham Property

Miles has a long background in customer service working for many Years in the motor industry with BMW retail and also as a Regional Manager for Mercedes-Benz UK overseeing retailers across various parts of the UK. Following the study and attainment of his MBA from The University of Edinburgh Miles got involved the lettings industry through his role with Lettingweb as Managing Director. This led to him founding Glenham property in 2009 where he could put to good use his passion for customer service. Glenham is now a multi award winning agent based in Edinburgh with a complete focus on raising the standards of the industry for both landlords and tenants.