Scottish tenants have been warned that their rents could spike once again given the recent lapse in regulations around this area.
Trade body Propertymark has made the warning, pointing out that the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 ended in March 2024. This temporarily protected tenants by controlling rent, limiting evictions and setting up rent review measures.
Though extended by the Rent Adjudication (Temporary Modifications) (Scotland) Regulations of 2024, these have expired again in March 2025.
As such, Propertymark expects landlords will now likely seek to raise rents to make up for losses incurred as costs have inflated.
“Letting agents and their landlords across Scotland will welcome the end of the rent adjudication measures implemented by the Scottish Government,” said Timothy Douglas, head of policy and campaigns at Propertymark.
“Importantly, there will be no immediate replacement for temporary rent controls, and it will be back to standard rules for rent adjudication from 1st April 2025.”
Rent controls could return to Scotland in the form of the Housing (Scotland) Bill which is expected to gain Royal Assent in 2025.
However the bill, which will require local authorities to assess rent levels in their given area, will likely not be enacted until 2027.
“Restrictive measures on rent control have caused rents to rise and stalled investment across Scotland,” added Timothy.
“It’s now vital that policymakers learn the lessons and do not repeat the mistakes of restricting rents that put up costs for tenants over the long run.”
