Private tenants in Scotland will get first refusal if a landlord puts their home up for sale under plans announced by the SNP.

Leader John Swinney has pledged that if the party wins the election on 7th May, renters would be given a period of exclusivity to purchase it “at a fair market rate”.

He said monthly rental costs – now an average of £1,123, up 4.9% from a year ago, according to Propertymark - had a major impact on buyers’ ability to save for a deposit.

“So many people are stuck paying more on rent than they would on a mortgage - and with costs just going up and up, there is nothing left over at the end of the month to save for a deposit,” says Swinney.

Difficult

“That is made all the more difficult when private renters find themselves having to leave their home because the owner has decided to sell up. This will help people to put down roots and to feel secure in their own home - without the risk of being turfed out against their will.”

The SNP has also promised to set up a new housing agency and reform the planning system in Scotland.

However, Anna Gardiner, senior policy adviser at Scottish Land & Estates, believes the proposal risks doing real damage to the PRS.

“Beyond the fundamental question it raises about an individual’s right to sell their property freely, this policy would introduce additional delay, bureaucracy and legal complexity into what should be a straightforward process,” she tells The Herald. “That will inevitably drive up costs for both landlords and tenants and accelerate the steady exit of landlords from the sector.”

Hassle

Scottish Association of Landlords chief executive, John Blackwood (pictured), tells LandlordZONE that many landlords would prefer to sell to their tenants and allow them to stay in their homes, saving them the hassle of ending the tenancy and marketing the property for sale.

He adds: “For far too long the discussion has been framed as pitting landlords' rights against those of tenants. We hope we can reframe that as more of a partnership between a customer and a provider.

“To properly tackle the housing emergency, we need a full range of properties available, including in the private rented sector. This means incentivising landlords to invest and grow their portfolios and avoiding measures that actively discourage them.”

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