Letting agents in Scotland launch campaign to stop evictions ban extension

Letting agents in Scotland are squaring up for a fight after Holyrood ministers and housing campaigners signalled plans to extend the residential evictions ban.

Propertymark says it unhappy with the plans which it says are a slap in the face of the many agents who’ve been working hard to support struggling tenants and landlords.

The extension to the evictions ban is to be debated within the Scots parliament as part of proposals to extend the Emergency Coronavirus legislation by another six months, and potentially even longer.

Propertymark is asking letting agents to write to their MSPs as Daryl Mcintosh (pictured), Propertymark’s Scots policy expert, says there isn’t enough data to support a policy decision.

“Our members want to work with tenants, and it is not constructive to assume the default position will be for agents and landlords to want to evict,” he says.

Mcintosh argues that the six months’ notice that landlords must give to tenants during Covid is already creating crippling debt for tenants due to the long lead times before an eviction can take place.

“Many landlords who have been personally affected by the pandemic are already in the position where selling properties is their only viable option and extending the Bill raises concerns that many landlords could exit the market out of frustration,” he says.

The Scottish parliament is due to debate the Covid extension next week on the 23^rd June.

Propertymark has prepared a template letter for agents to use when writing to their MPs about the evictions extension. Download the letter here.

Read more about industry lobbying in Scotland.