A bit of fine tuning and the housing Scotland bill could prove to be a landmark piece of legislation, says Fiona King of Shelter Scotland.
As the extensive Housing (Scotland) Bill makes its way through Parliament, Shelter Scotland sees as much to cheer as there is to fear.
The welcome headline is the much heralded ending of the Right to Buy in Scotland, where social housing is under more pressure than for generations. This measure alone will retain an estimated 10,000 homes for affordable rent over the next 10 years, effectively putting the plug back in the bath when it comes to housing supply.
If each proposal helps, safeguards or facilitates access to a safe, secure home for everyone in Scotland, then we’re on the right track
We also welcome measures to strengthen tenants’ rights and regulation in the private rented sector.
In particular, replacing sheriff courts with a specialist tribunal system for dispute resolution and encouraging letting agents to raise their game when letting private rented housing are bold and encouraging steps forward.
We look forward to seeing the detail on how these changes will look when put into practice.
The social housing section contains proposed changes which threaten some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Shelter Scotland and a coalition of organisations across Scotland are concerned by the proposal to allow age to be taken into account by landlords when allocating social homes.
This is a serious departure away from the principle of need dictating the fair and transparent allocation of housing and one we are asking the housing minister, Margaret Burgess MSP, to remove entirely from the bill.
We also have concerns about the unintended consequences of proposals to tackle anti-social behaviour and increasing the links between a member of a household’s behaviour and the security of that tenancy.
Legislation should only be enacted if there is a compelling, well-evidenced case for it, not because there is no reason not to.
If each proposal helps, safeguards or facilitates access to a safe, secure home for everyone in Scotland, then we’re on the right track.
So it’s a mixed bag for housing, as is often the case and as ever there are different views across the sector and beyond.
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