Greens to bring vote to ban evictions for first 12 months of a tenancy
Landlords should not be allowed to evict renters for at least the first 12 months of their tenancy, says Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman, who will be forcing a vote on a new suite of renter protections.
Landlords will need to wait a year before evicting tenants to sell the property, or move themselves or their family in.
Renters will also get a longer notice period of 4 months. Currently, renters have between 1 and 3 months’ notice, depending on how long they have lived in the property.
Maggie, who will be moving her proposals as an amendment to the upcoming Housing Bill, wants Scotland to match protections that are already coming into place in England to protect renters from rogue landlords.
Maggie said:
“Every renter deserves peace of mind and a secure place to call home. There are few things as important to us as where we live, but far too many people, including families and young people, are at the mercy of rogue landlords who are more interested in lining their pockets than they are in providing a stable home.
“Nobody should be moving into a new home one day only to be threatened with eviction the next. That doesn’t allow people to plan or to settle into a new community and a new life.
“All parties agree that Scotland is in a housing emergency. We need to act like it. My amendments are about giving people security and dignity and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to make a house into a home.
“I hope that MSPs from all parties will back what is a simple change that would make a big difference to their constituents, particularly those in precarious living conditions.”
“If the Scottish Government does not support our plans, it will need to explain to Scots why they don’t deserve the same protections from evictions renters south of the border will shortly be getting."
Maggie added:
“Our housing market is broken and rigged in favour of a landlord lobby that has had its way for too long. The Housing Bill is an opportunity to make Scotland the best place in the UK for renters, securing their rights in law.
“The bill has a lot of important measures that were introduced by my Green colleague Patrick Harvie when he was a Minister, and we need to build on those to make it the most robust bill that it can be.”