The Scottish Governments’ proposed housing policy threatens future economic growth in Scotland according to analysis of trend data by a leading property firm.
DJ Alexander Ltd, part of the Lomond Group which is the largest lettings and estate agency in Scotland, believes that policies which are aimed at reducing the size of the private rented sector (PRS) through increased financial, regulatory, and legislative control risk stifling economic recovery in Scotland in the coming years.
“It is essential for places like Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland to remain open for business and for the economy to be expanding in the next decade and part of this must be the provision of enough appropriate homes to house and attract a growing workforce.
If the Scottish economy is to emerge from the pandemic and start to flourish again appropriate levels of housing are essential and the PRS is an integral part of this provision.
My concern remains whether this will be possible when the Scottish Government remains committed to reducing the volume of homes in the private rented sector in Scotland and, in particular in the central belt, through punitive taxation, regulation, income control, and other policies aimed at driving landlords and investors out of the market.”