Amendments to the Housing Bill (Scotland) that would have given more eviction protections to tenants have been rejected by ministers in Scottish Parliament.
The measures were tabled by Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman and would have increased eviction notice periods, where a landlord wanted to sell or move, to four months.
This was introduced with the intention of giving tenants a protected period from this type of eviction for 12 months following the start of a tenancy.
Currently, if a tenant in Scotland has been in their home for under six months they can be evicted with 28 days’ notice. This increases to 84 days if they have been in situ for over six months.
Generation Rent had hoped this would give Scottish tenants similar protections to Wales, where a six-month minimum notice is mandatory, and England where the Renters Rights Bill promises similar steps.
“Allowing landlords to turf tenants out of their homes with very little notice shatters those foundations,” said Ben Twomey, CEO at Generation Rent.
“The impact ripples across society, pushing people into homelessness and placing strain on public services.
“Today represented a major backward step for renters who will soon be looking enviously across the border if the government doesn’t change course.”
