POLICIES
Policies
Much more needs to be done in policy change to encourage developers to put forward planning proposals that will prioritise the needs of local people and communities. Our capital City is crying out for more affordable homes and we should all be looking to deliver more affordable housing for our communities and for the next generation – and that includes students. This urgently needs to be addressed in the next parliamentary term at Holyrood to ensure a fairer and better balance as part of our drive towards a more equal society.
Here are some of our policy ideas that we believe will go a long way in addressing some of the housing issues in Scotland.
Housing Policies
Build More Public and Social Housing
Accelerate the building of more public and social housing, rent it out for affordable prices for public benefit. This will undercut the private rental sector and address the wealth and equality gap. Underused derelict land and brownfield sites should be developed where possible, with the developer financing any land remediation works where feasible.
Private PBSA (Purpose Built Student Accommodation)
As the current planning policy states, local authorities should seek an affordable housing contribution from developers of new housing developments of a certain size, where there is a shortage of affordable housing in the area, but this does not apply to PBSA, therefore, private PBSA developers are able to charge high rents without having to provide any affordable housing within their developments.
One area of policy we believe needs to be urgently addressed is private PBSA developers should have to supply a percentage of affordable housing units within their developments, or make a financial contribution towards affordable housing development in the public or social sector as with any other type of housing. To require new developments of PBSA should include provision for affordable student housing amounting to 25% of the total.
PBSA providers should reinvest a proportion of profit into student wellbeing and mental health, and prioritise student and community needs over greater profits.
There should be also a much lower limited cap on PBSA development, especially in Edinburgh.
Buy-to-Live
We should give housing properties for sale a window of time that they are only available for 'Buy-to-Live' to give would-be homeowners a chance to get the property they want rather than be beaten by a landlord looking to expand their portfolio.
Regulate Buy-To-Let
Ban landlords from buying New-Build properties. Enforce a period in the terms of sale with a minimum period of banning rents to prevent this and to allow community spirit to be fostered. A solution would be to increase house-building but many of these new houses would be bought by landlords. Landlords should be banned from buying new-build properties and from Buy-to-Let mortgages to address the wealth gap between them and their tenants. Buy-to-Let landlords should only be allowed to buy from much higher end priced properties to give new homebuyers a chance to become homeowners.
Short-Term Lets Regulation
There has been promises to restrict short-term lets with a workable regulation/licensing system which urgently needs to be honoured as soon as possible.
Democratise Housing Associations
Legalisation is urgently needed for tenants majority on executive boards for housing associations to ensure fairness and accountability. Expecting tenants to pay above inflation rent rises while Chief Executives pay themselves £300K is utterly unacceptable. Time to end the undemocratic bureaucracy of larger Housing Associations and put tenants in control of their communities by legislating for a tenants majority on executive boards supported by tenants’ unions.
Rent Control
Holyrood urgently needs to review rent control legislation to enable a workable system which allows proper rent control on both private and social lets in local hotspots and this must be a priority early in the next parliament. Inspired by the proposals of Living Rent, Scotland could introduce true, national rent controls. Rents could be set on a points-based system, with points earned for the quality and amenities of a given property. Building on the benefits of recent years - the scrapping of lettings fees and fixed term leases Scotland could go a lot further and become a nation where renting exploitation is ended.
Rent Affordability Index
A new Scottish Rent Affordability Index could take local trends and incomes into account, setting maximum rent levels. Together with this index, a Scottish Living Rent Commission would act as an umbrella body, and a centre of expertise and regulation, likely working with existing rent structures such as Security Deposits Scotland.
National Register of Landlords & Tenants
Implement a National Register of Landlords and Tenants to address the power imbalance, it would mean increasing accountability and penalties for non-complaint landlords who will be required to meet acceptable minimal standards before renting out homes. Renters could check up on their landlord before signing a contract and have somewhere to turn if they are mistreated.
A Single Centre for Renting, tied to a Landlord and Tenant Register
Building on the drive for rent controls, we should look at expanding the existing Scottish Landlord Register. This currently collects landlord details into a single national register, but it is full of missing information, and is limited in use. What we are imagining is an expanded Scottish Tenant, Landlord and Agency Register (STELAR). Here, all tenant, landlord, and letting agency details would be collected in a single place, easily accessible over the internet.
Tenants no longer need to register information a hundred times in slightly different ways with every letting agent. This also makes moving
around Scotland far easier. They no longer have to provide references of past tenancies (which were always useless as actual evidence of good behaviour): those would all be on record. You could opt-in to sending proof of your regular, on-time rent payments to credit agencies which then improves your credit rating.
You also have references for every landlord in Scotland - they cannot hide neglect. Landlords could see tenants’ track record of paying their
rent, without needing to ask for a reference. Recording all repairs, complaints and improvements will demonstrate a landlord’s responsibility.
The information stored on this expanded register would help create and calibrate rent controls as proposed above, and also be linked to Safe Deposits Scotland. With the extra assurances provided by this register, tenants could transfer deposits between properties. This would avoid the squeeze of paying a new deposit while the old one has not been returned.
Pet Owning Rights for Tenants
Tenants in the private and social sectors should be able to own a pet with the right protections and responsibilities in place, as pets can be extremely important to people and their wellbeing. Yet many private landlords do not allow tenants to keep pets, and some landlords even enforce blanket bans. The lack of pet-friendly temporary accommodation provision in Scotland prevents people who are in the homeless system from keeping a pet.
This has directly led to people resorting to rough sleeping to avoid being separated from their pet. Tenants should not be unreasonably barred from owning a pet, regardless of their tenancy type, and should have the same pet owning rights as those who own their home.
Shared Repairs
We need a new Act to make shared tenement repairs much easier to organise and implement.
Planning Policies
Planning Democracy
We fully support the work of Planning Democracy which aims to ensure that decisions about how Scotland’s land is developed are fair, inclusive, locally accountable, and promote just outcomes driven by community needs rather than profit. Planning should prioritise public benefit over property developers profits at the expense of local communities.
Greener Scottish Homes
Sustainable housing developments are required and new builds should enable planners, architects and engineers to create innovative sustainable solutions, which incorporate green infrastructure into its design. Communal district heating systems, rainwater harvesting and greywater re-use should be encouraged for new developments.
Sustainable Housing Development
Improved focus on sustainable housing developments, including the integration of blue-green infrastructure. This can include the inclusion of green roofs, water butts, and disconnected downpipes overflowing into rain gardens. These help to manage rainwater in a more natural and sustainable manner and provide amenity and biodiversity benefits.
Additional funding for self-build homes like the popular programme in Maryhill, Glasgow. For self-build homes, see Maryhill, Glasgow -
These policies can also be found in the HAGSA (Housing And Green Space Activism) manifesto.