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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
Abbi Garton-Crosbie

'Disgraceful': Officials raise tenants' rents well above what landlords requested

SCOTLAND’S “deeply flawed” rent adjudication system saw officials raise prices well above what landlords had requested, new figures have revealed. 

On April 1, legislation that stopped landlords from hiking monthly prices above 12%, provided they were sent for adjudication, expired.

We previously told that even when the protections were in place, hundreds of landlords in Scotland still attempted to hike rents well above the 12% limit.

The National analysed figures from Rent Services Scotland (RSS) from between April 1 and June 31, the first three months after the protections had been removed.

Of the 109 cases sent for adjudication during that time frame, RSS agreed to a rise on 96 occasions. This ranged from small increases, the smallest 0.7%, to increases well above what landlords had requested.

In 29 cases, rental officers told tenants they had to pay more than the increase their landlord had requested.

As adjudications are based on open market rents, with rental officers basing their decisions on the rental prices of similar neighbouring properties, tenants are told that this could occur when making an application.

In one case, an Edinburgh tenant who had appealed against an increase from £801.70 to £850.70, was told they would have to pay £1280, an increase of 60%.

In Glasgow, another tenant who queried their rent being hiked from £480.17 to £505.14 was told their rent would now be £720, an increase of 50%. 

Another tenant in Edinburgh saw their rent rise by almost £400 after referring their case to rent officers. They were initially paying £777.86, with the landlord aiming to raise this to £826.86. Now, the monthly rent will be £1170, £392 more than their initial rent, and a 50% increase. 

One Edinburgh tenant saw a 72% increase in their rent, up from the 48% the landlord had requested. Instead of £403 per month, they were told that it would now be £695, £95 more than the amount they had appealed. 

Of the 29 properties where rents were raised above what the landlord requested, 11 were in Glasgow and nine in Edinburgh. 

Ruth Gilbert, national campaigns chair at Living Rent, said the figures were “frankly disgraceful”. 

“It is clear why so few tenants do not trust the government when it has allowed a system that increases tenants' rent beyond their landlord’s initial proposals,” she said. 

“The rent adjudication system is deeply flawed. 

“It is designed to bake in above-inflation rent increases. Poverty in Scotland is on the rise and tenants cannot afford to bear the brunt of unregulated rents year on year. 

“Rents across Scotland have skyrocketed since 2010, increasing at double the rate of inflation in Edinburgh and 30% above inflation in Glasgow.

“Scotland cannot afford to wait any longer for rent controls. With the measures in the Housing Bill likely coming into effect in 2027, the government must act on the national housing emergency it declared and introduce emergency protections that freeze rents and cap rents between tenancies until permanent, robust rent controls come into law.”

Maggie Chapman, Scottish Greens MSP, said that the figures showed the need for the protections to be reinstated. While the Housing Bill is making its way through Holyrood, and is set for its final debate before becoming law, it would not come into effect until 2027. 

Chapman has lodged an amendment to the legislation to force a vote on an intermediary rent cap before full controls are brought in. 

(Image: Christian Gamauf) “We want to see those protections reinstated immediately, and to ensure that the Housing Bill really does tackle sky-rocketing rents,” she said. 

“That means taking on the landlord lobby and ensuring that our parliament delivers real, far-reaching and lasting change.

“The Scottish Government has the chance to introduce some fairness into what is an unjust housing market, to protect renters, and prevent homelessness. They must not squander it.”

Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan said: “Scotland already has some of the strongest rights in the UK for tenants, and we are taking forward measures in the Housing Bill that will further strengthen these protections.

“We recognise the concerns raised about how rent adjudication currently operates and we’re taking action through the Housing Bill to ensure the Rent Officer, or Tribunal, cannot raise the rent above that requested by the landlord.”

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