Sleaze landlords are bypassing strict letting rules designed to stamp out crime by offering “sex for rent” deals.
Housing campaigners yesterday called for the loophole to be closed to protect more vulnerable Scots.
We revealed this week how predatory landlords such as Steven Anderson, from Uddingston, Lanarkshire, are targeting those without a place to live during the pandemic by offering accommodation in return for sex.
Anderson’s seedy proposition of “sexual favours” in exchange for his spare room was just one of many we uncovered on US classified site Craigslist despite a pledged crackdown on the adverts.
But Sean Clerkin, of the Scottish Tenants Association, said the powers open to councils are not fit for purpose.
He said: “The landlord registration scheme that all local authorities have is very weak and insipid.
“Anybody that is offering any form of accommodation, even letting out a room, should be forced to register.
“There has to be the political will to drive these sexual exploiters into the ground.”
Council chiefs yesterday told us that legislation designed to filter out rogue landlords does not apply to people such as Anderson.
The landlord registration system, introduced in 2006 to give local authorities power over who can let properties, was aimed at giving an extra level of protection to tenants.
But landlords who want to share their home with a tenant are not obliged to give their details under the system.
A South Lanarkshire Council spokeswoman said: “Current legislation does not require landlords who rent out a room in their only or main dwelling to be registered.”
The Scottish Government says any private landlord offering sex for rent should be reported to the local council and the police.
