While the Herald leads with ‘Appalling’: ScotGov rent curbs fail to prevent new record bill rises and BBC Scotland tell us they are ‘soaring‘ the actual facts of life in Scotland under the SNP, are ignored.
The above ONS data reveal with clarity of a kind they don’t think newsworthy, that private sector rents have been controlled in Scotland in a manner they have not in England.
As for Northern Ireland – WTF!! Can someone do the research on that for us?
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
The SG is under pressure not to continue the rent freeze and the Scottish Governments efforts to prevent evictions is being somewhat undermined by the landlords putting property up for sale with no intention of actually selling.
No doubting who the Herald supports.
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Anent Northern Ireland – remember it is still with in the European market area, and despite the media driven stories about the lack of goods getting across from old Blighty, it has an open border with the EU and benefits from the free movement of goods.
Because of the intransigence of the DUP, in the face of 55% of the electorate – including a fair number of Protestant Boys’ constituencies – there has been no devolved governance in NI, for several years during which time it has been ruled directly from London.
I suspect that some combination of these factors has contributed to rents rises in NI. The growth rate in Eire is the highest in Europe, so, it is possible that the money flowing into Dublin, is resulting in property speculators, including the likes of toff, Jacob Rees Mogg, gobbling up properties in the north, creating a housing shortage and, as a consequence, forcing up rents.
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I am a landlord, and I really despise this action from the SNP.
My mortgages have risen substantially and currently I cannot put my rents up. I havent raised them in over 12 years!!!
In my opinion it shouldnt be a blanket ban, it should be some consideration for the landlords situation, as i am no ‘charly big spuds’ and had to sell a property quick sharp to put the cash remaining after mortgage completion into my remaining mortgages as I was losing over 1k a month… I am still losing now, but hoping to ‘weather the storm’ until the rates return a little. I had to clean out all my savings to pay off at least one of my mortgages too, and at the moment i am still living month to month (as are a lot of people)
Thankfully the tenant had agreed to go. She had completely wrecked my house to boot..!! (i was lucky but on the landlords FB group many arent as lucky and cannot put the proper eviction notice into play!)
I see what they are trying to do, but some tenants are out and out taking the piss. I will still vote for them however, as they by far the best for Scotland. But this is hurting a lot.
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‘currently I cannot put my rents up. I haven’t raised them in over 12 years!!!’
Can’t you raise them up to the cap?
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Adz, you are not alone. My son has a small flat that he couldn’t recoip his outlay on. He added it to his own mortgage and rented it out to cover that. Current tenants haven’t paid any rent for over 6 months but my son has to maintain the property and pay mortgage, insurance etc. and he can’t sell it.
In a well-intentioned attempt to save tenants from poverty, ScotGov may sink some small, private landlords into financial difficulties.
The broad brush stroke is damaging.
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I am not a landlord, and really despise those portraying themselves as victims of a measure intended to safeguard tenant security in the midst of a cost of living crisis, exacerbated by recent interest increases imposed by the Tories to add to the pain.
Anybody who doesn’t live in a house they own is speculating on that property value rising whilst covering their cost, and many have made a business out of it, but like any business it carries risks.
Anybody pleading poverty with a bankable asset running into the hundreds of thousand is frankly taking the piss.
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Not all properties are worth hundreds of thousands of pounds and, in the case of my son, he was caught by a property crash caused by the bankers and that put him into negative equity. The choice was to hand the keys to the mortgage providers and walk away or to rent out. He has a double mortgage.
I expect that he sometimes wishes he had handed back the keys on his negative equity property.
Bob, you too are applying a broad brush and tarring all with it.
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True on the latter, but at least be honest that those owning property they don’t live in are speculating, viz taking a gamble on an investment.
Negative equity is a risk you can ride out in the long term as an owner/occupier, it only hurts investors looking for quick profits.
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Not if a double mortgage is stretching you, the equity is still negative and the tenant stops paying rent.
Bob, be honest and admit that almost any system will trap people who were not the main targets and who may suffer as a result.
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I’m not disputing the difficulties which can arise, but if you can suspend familial concerns for a second, the risks were freely entered into, only now looked back on with regret. Current circumstances will pass and the investment will still pay off in the long term.
The rent freeze was introduced to give some stability to tenants over a short term bout of inflationary pressures from energy pricing etc., but recent argument over it is entirely misplaced.
HMG will be fully aware recent interest rate rises will not bring inflation down, indeed it will compound the problem until baseline inflation stabilises as it always does.
– This is where I find the misdirection vexing – The ire of landlords, mortgage holders, etc. should be focussed on HMG who are imposing this wholly unnecessary pain.
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Would you go to the supermarket and steal food and get away with it in a cost of living crisis?
Would you expect to be given goods out of a store for free during a cost of living crisis?
Would you expect others to pay for your drinks during this cost of living crisis?
No you wouldnt, as its theft… So stop trying to portray landlords as evil and that they should be the ones made to pay. I know some who are completely reliant on the rent income and have had some of their properties repossessed because of non payers. OAPs who have bought a flat to help with their lack of pension.
You seem to have fallen for the medias ‘all landlords are bad’ rhetoric. Because we supply one of the basic requirements. You dont know the half of the work that goes into making a property rental compliant these days. Then there is upkeep costs, replacement of equipment, safety regulations to be followed etc.
I hop skip and jump if anything goes wrong at any of my properties. Recently I had to go round and empty a washing machine because it wasnt emptying only to find that they had clogged the drain with hairpins. Do i charge my tenants for these type of callouts.. no. Would they have to pay someone to fix things like this if they didnt rent.. yes!! On 3 properties i get about 8 or 9 of these a year. (millennials attitude to fixing things unfortunately)
There are some major fines for landlords if they are found negligent. But it works both ways! It is a business with contracts and any breach of contract deserves to be acted on End of.
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Blimey, slow reader…. This was 6 months ago on the subject of rent controls…
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The rent freeze is for a limited period. Until inflation is lower. Cost of living crisis is tackled by Westminster incompetence.
Rents in Scotland are not soaring because of the rent freeze.
Rents in London S/E are 50% higher than Glasgow. Pay in London S/E is higher. The disposable income is the same. Higher wages, higher rents London S/E. Lower rents, lower wages Glasgow. The same disposable income. Works out the same. Better in Glasgow access to the countryside. Better quality of life. Happier. Better governance. ‘Smiley, happy people’. Glasgow smiles better. Better SNP Holyrood Gov. Looking out for people. Despite Westminster colossal poor, bad interference.
Scottish Gov building and renovation more affordable houses. 6,000+ a year. To keep down homelessness and save money.
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Not made a profit on a property for years. The values have soared.
Tory incompetence. Not providing more affordable properties. Austerity. People suffering and losing funds. Life expectancy in the South going down. Poor bad migration policies. Brexit. People losing out. Making people poorer because of Westminster unionists poor, bad policies. Especially for a Scotland.
Barnett formula taking wealth from a Scotland. Totally illegal under International Law. Westminster Gov total gross mismanagement.
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What’s happening in NI. More people buying? The £Billion bungs from Westminster having an effect. To try and keep down the Troubles’ caused by Westminster illegal Partition 1922. for Unionists votes at Westminster.
Irish have the highest amount of second homes. Pro rata. Brexit.
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Average rent London S/E £1300. Up 10%. Average rent Aberdeen £700 up 3%. Average rent NI £825.
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Wouldn’t it be typical of the rich ba….ds in rep of Ireland to cross over the invisible border and buy up all the coastal properties with their new found USA subsidised wealth just like the English do in Scotland buy em up rent em out on air bnb and retire early ensuring that the up and coming locals can’t get a place to live.
Has Norn Iron heard of LBTT ADS ?
This is.what happens when another country controls yer essentials , like money , tax , social security , immigration , foreign affairs
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The risks were not even on the radar. Nobody predicted the unforgivable actions of the bankers.
This is not a case of someond buying a second property but of being landed with one as a result of the actions of corrupt bankers.
“Current circumstances will pass”
and the investment will pay off” – not if there is no rent coming in and no option to sell but, all the while, outgoings go out There is no capital here to realise – just mortgages and bills.
“Suspend familial concerns” – are you having a laugh? It is for my family that I want an Jndependent Scotland. For my family that I want rid of Wastemonster. For my family that I will continue to vote SNP. I’ll not be suspending familial concerns and I don’t believe that anyone should.
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