The evidence piles up everyday and today we have another piece.

Throughout September and October, BB Scotland, the Express, the Herald, the Record, the FT and even the National had stories of landlords bypassing the SNP Government’s 3% cap on rent rises for existing tenants by ending tenancy agreements if one flatmate moves out and then demanding an additional 35%. This loophole, this supposed ‘abject failure’ was fuel for numerous reports.

But today, when the SNP Government close the loophole. The Telegraph and BNN Bloomberg are alone with this kind of coverage:

In a bold move, the Scottish National Party (SNP) is acting to close a loophole that has permitted landlords to evade rent control measures instituted by former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Implemented last year, these regulations had capped rent hikes at 3%. However, certain landlords found a way around this decree. The SNP’s new initiative aims to ensure that even new tenancies fall within the ambit of the 3% limit.

Loopholes in Current Regulations

Under the existing rules, landlords have been able to dramatically elevate rents between tenancies, a loophole that has led to a surge in Scottish rents higher than any other region in Britain. Property website Zoopla reported a 12.7% surge in rents for new leases in Scotland within the year leading up to July, compared to the UK average of 10.5%. Strikingly, in cities like Edinburgh and Dundee, rents skyrocketed by 15.6% over the past year.

Proposed Changes

The Scottish government discreetly unveiled plans earlier this month to bridge this gap and extend rent controls to new tenancies as well. In a consultation document, it proposed that landlords should be restrained to a maximum one-time annual rent increase of 3%, regardless of whether they induct a new tenant. In exceptional circumstances, landlords can apply for permission to hike rents by 6% to cover high overheads.

https://bnn.network/politics/scottish-national-party-to-rein-in-landlords-with-rent-control-measures/

Not even STV so far.