Letter regarding the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Bill
Una Marie, VP Student Support, has written to Margaret Burgess MSP regarding the Private Housing Bill in the Scottish Parliament.
Our Vice President for Student Support Una Marie has this week written to Margaret Burgess MSP, the Minister for Housing and Welfare, to express the SRC’s concerns about the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Bill which is currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament.
The bill, which is due to reach Stage 3 proceedings on 17th March, would implement a raft of changes in the private rented housing sector including the removal of the initial tenancy term required for private sector tenancies which is good news for Erasmus students looking to rent a flat for less than the current standard 6 months.
However we have a number of concerns about the current wording of the bill including the fact that in its current form it permits a landlord to apply to evict a tenant convicted of anti-social behaviour even if the offence was committed in a completely different location to the property in question. The bill also currently permits a landlord to apply for an eviction order if a tenant is found to be “associating” with someone convicted of crime punishable by imprisonment, which conceivably could mean victims of domestic violence being subject to eviction proceedings due to an abusive partner’s conviction.
You can read more in Una Marie’s letter below and if you’d like to contact Margaret Burgess MSP on this yourself she can be contacted at Margaret.Burgess.msp@scottish.parliament.uk.
