New Scottish government environmental proposals will worsen the housing crisis and force people to spend longer in emergency homeless accommodation, the Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL) has warned.
Ministers are considering imposing minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) on some properties from 2028 and all homes in the private rented sector by 2033, at an expected cost of £600 million to the sector.
SAL has concerns that these restrictions will further deter investors, resulting in more landlords leaving the sector and bringing down the total number of homes available to cope with the housing crisis, while only lowering the country’s emissions by 0.04 percent.
There is further concern that the proposals will cause extended void periods, as properties are put through expensive and lengthy periods of work, meaning that tenants in need spend more time in emergency homeless accommodation.
Landlords are also worried that they will have insufficient time to prepare, as the reports that will be used to assess properties will not be available until Autumn 2026.
More detailed technical reports to assess options for improving properties will not be available until 2028, giving landlords no time to arrange work in time for the 1 April 2028 implementation date.
SAL is urging policymakers to scrap these proposals and to commit to creating an environment that encourages investment and certainty within the sector.
Scottish Association of Landlords Chief Executive, John Blackwood, said: “During a housing crisis, the correct thing to do would be to make investment more attractive and remove as much friction from the housing sector as possible.
“These measures do the opposite of that; they are expensive, bureaucratic, and send the wrong signals to investors – meaning there will be fewer homes available.
“With the lack of technical reports to assess options and the clock ticking down to the deadline, landlords will have no time to arrange works to be done.”
“They will also cause unacceptable delays, particularly for those moving from emergency homeless accommodation into a private rented home.
“Scotland’s landlords are urging ministers to rethink these dangerous proposals and to work with us to encourage investment and confidence in our sector.
