The Rent is Too Damn High
In my latest local column, I discuss the impact that the recently passed Housing Bill will have on renters and the housing sector across West Scotland.
‘The rent is too damn high’
That’s a phrase made famous in New York, but it's one many renters here in Scotland can relate to.
Rents have increased by more than wages for years. This pushes many families into poverty and homelessness, not to mention making it impossible for people to save for a deposit to buy their own home.
In October, MSPs agreed to introduce a system of rent controls proposed by the Scottish Greens. While the Scottish Government has unfortunately watered down our plans a bit, these measures will still stop landlords from ripping off tenants with massive rent hikes.
It will also massively expand renters’ rights, including new rights to decorate their homes and keep pets.
I’m proud that these measures, introduced by Scottish Green MSPs, have now become reality. No-one should be forced to shell out a huge chunk of their salary on rent. Certainly not while their landlord racks up the cash simply because they were wealthy or fortunate enough to own one or more properties on top of their own home.
One set of statistics makes clear just how broken Scotland’s housing sector is right now - Just over 10,000 children are living in temporary accommodation, but 43,000 homes lie empty and 21,600 are used as second or holiday homes.
That’s why I’ve put forward further proposals to tackle this imbalance by increasing tax rates on second and holiday homes.
We need to build more homes, but that won’t solve anything if wealthy people keep buying them up as second homes, or if they’re bought by landlords to put up on Airbnb as holiday lets.
Many rural and island communities, like Lamlash on Arran and Coigach in Wester Ross are in the disastrous situation where half or more of all homes are either holiday lets or second homes. Young people are moving away because they can’t get their own home where they’ve grown up.
It’s hard to sustain a community when the school closes because anyone of an age to have children has moved away, as has anyone who can work in critical jobs like providing social care to older neighbours.
Changes already delivered by the Scottish Greens have started to reverse the explosive growth in second homes. We’ve doubled the extra tax paid when buying a home you won’t actually live in and we’ve allowed councils to double Council tax on these properties.
As a result, the number of second homes dropped by 2,500 last year. This puts homes back on the market and into the hands of families who need somewhere to live permanently.
Homes are for living in, not for hoarding. We will keep working until this housing crisis is brought to an end.