
Greens rent controls could have saved tenants £1,000 a year
That differs from the Scottish Government's plan which would see increases limited to the CPI annual rate of inflation plus 1%, up to a maximum increase of 6%.
If approved, the cap would apply both to rent increases during the first term of a tenancy and in between tenancies.
The amendments will be scrutinised and voted on by the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee on Tuesday before being passed on for a wider Holyrood vote.
Independent analysis from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) assessed the proposals from the Greens.
Under the current system, the average market rent in Scotland in 2019 was £681, soaring to £893 by 2024 - a growth of 31% in five years.
But SPICe research suggests that had the Scottish Government model been in place, linking rent to average earnings, it would have been £799 by the end of the 2024 financial year - a 17% rise from 2019.
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That would have saved renters around £94 each month over the five-year period - slightly more than the proposed method from the Scottish Government which would have resulted in savings of £86 per month, if it was introduced in 2019.
In Greater Glasgow, the average market rent at then end of the 2024 financial year was £1,050 - 42% up from £720 in 2019.
But under the Scottish Green suggestion, it would have been £877 on average at the end of 2024 - saving renters £173 per year, compared to £154 under the CPI plus 1% proposal from the Scottish Government.
Lothian renters, who pay on average the most across the country, would have been paying £272 per month less under the Greens model - £10 less per month than the Scottish Government suggestion.
That is down from the £1,358 average in 2024 - the highest across the country.
The Scottish Greens said that their amendments would allow councils to put in place lower rent increases, freezes or reductions in areas where rents were already too high.
The Housing Bill was a key element of the Bute House Agreement between the Greens and the SNP.
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But with the collapse of the government partnership, the Scottish Greens have accused the SNP ministers of rowing back on earlier proposals, with the hikes in rent control areas now to be linked to inflation.
Amendments to the Bill from the Scottish Greens also look to ban winter evictions, allowing tenants to withhold rent for poor quality properties and forcing absentee landlords to sell derelict properties for housing.
Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman said: 'Nobody should be put in a position where the lion's share of their income is being spent on paying rent, leaving them with very little left to pay for food, heating and electricity bills, or to simply enjoy their lives.
'All parties agree that we are in a housing emergency, but we need to start acting like it.
'The proposals we have published will ensure a robust system of rent controls that will support tenants and end rip off rents.
'Our proposals would give stability to households and families on the frontline of the crisis, and make sure rents are fairer across the board going forward.
'By tying rents to average earnings, we are establishing an important principle that rent should not rise faster than renters' ability to pay.
'Homes are for living in, not for grotesque profiteering. The Housing Bill was introduced by the Scottish Greens. It gives us the opportunity to transform the broken housing market and protect renters all across our country.'
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: 'Scotland already has some of the strongest rights in the UK for tenants, and we are taking forward measures in the Housing Bill to support the introduction of longer-term rent control where this is needed.
'Supporting tenants is a priority for the Scottish Government. From 1 April 2025, protections continue to be in place against rent increases above market rent for most private tenants and we would encourage tenants to make use of their right to a review of a rent increase where necessary.'
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