News archives
Upper tribunal confirms COLA rent cap exemption
In a decision which will be binding on future First-Tier Tribunal (FTT) cases, the Upper Tribunal has confirmed that the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 rent freeze/rent caps which were in place from 6 September 2022 to 31 March 2024 did not...
Consultation for PBSA providers
The Scottish Government has published a consultation seeking information from PBSA (purpose-built student accommodation) providers on their current processes for students who wish to end their tenancy agreement early. The consultation also seeks feedback on what the...
SAL meeting with Minister for Housing
On 26 June SAL chief executive John Blackwood and policy manager Caroline Elgar met with the government’s Minister for Housing, Paul McLennan. The Minister acknowledged that the government’s relationship with the private rented sector (PRS) is not positive following...
UK parliament election manifestos
The UK goes to the polls on 4 July for the general election. SAL has produced a summary of each of the main parties’ manifesto commitments, which can be found here. As this is a UK parliament election, Scottish housing matters tend to get limited mention in parties’...
Scam warnings
Three of our letting agent members have recently contact SAL about fraudulent activity. The first contacted the SAL helpline to enquire about a call they’d received notifying them of a health and safety inspection which required to be carried out at their office. The...
Older renters – adapting homes to help
An ageing population means that homes will have to be adapted to help older renters cope with the challenges that being elderly can bring and landlords have a major role to play in making the necessary changes It is estimated that by 2050, 24.8 per cent of the UK’s...
When will Housing Bill provisions become law?
Many members are enquiring about when the provisions set out in the Housing Bill (published by the government in March) will become law. SAL met with the Scottish Government yesterday to discuss our concerns about the Bill, as set out in our response to the...
Scottish Mortgage and Summit Awards 2024
The Scottish Mortgage and Summit Awards 2024 are taking place on Thursday 30 May at the Sheraton Grand, Edinburgh, This event is an exclusive celebration of excellence in the mortgage industry, recognising individuals for their expertise, dedication and...
Buy-to-let market update
By Doug Hall, Director, 3mc Welcome to ‘Buy-to-let market’, a column aimed at providing you with recent criteria and product updates within the buy-to-let (BTL) lending markets. The information within this article is correct as at 24/05/2024. BTL update: – BM...
Scottish Government declares housing emergency
Yesterday the Scottish Government finally conceded that we have a housing emergency in Scotland – despite only a few months ago refusing to acknowledge the housing crisis. John Blackwood, SAL chief executive, has commented:”Is this a turning point for the...