The Scottish Parliament has introduced this Bill the primary purpose of which is to raise the standard of private rented housing in Scotland.

The Bill is intended to protect the good reputation of Scotland's private landlords by improving the law on how they are registered and to protect the tenant’s position by requiring landlords to provide tenants with information on tenants' rights and responsibilities. Local Authorities will be given additional powers to tackle bad landlords.

Maximum fines for the worst offending landlords will increase from £5,000 to £50,000 and the Courts will also be given power to ban convicted landlords for up to five years.

There will also be a crackdown on unscrupulous agents charging extortionate and unlawful premiums. The Government has also signalled that a comprehensive review of the current landlord registration system will be undertaken to see what further improvements can be made to the scheme.

In introducing the Bill, Alex Neil, the Housing and Communities Minister, said

"Good, lawful landlords have nothing to fear from this Bill. This Government wants to encourage a vibrant and responsive Scottish private rented sector, which provides good quality and well managed accommodation.

"I see the private rented sector as more important than ever in providing good quality accommodation given the economic challenges that face the public sector.

"The Bill sends a clear message to bad and unlawful landlords that they will not be tolerated, and give greater powers to local authorities to tackle the problem.

"We also plan to tighten landlord registration and HMO licensing by toughening up on the worst offenders by significantly increasing penalties. I have also ordered a root and branch review of landlord registration."

As many clients already know James and George Collie have a thriving residential leasing practice through our J&GC Leasing and StreetwiseFirst brands and in delivering services to our clients we will ensure that they are kept fully up to date with the requirements of the Bill as and when they are brought into force. If you have any questions about the Bill and the effect it may have on you as a landlord, tenant or perhaps investor or if you want information on the range of services we can offer you please contact John Sinclair on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .