Don't Demonise Private Rentals - agent attacks government's woeful record

A prominent lettings agent has resumed his attack on politicians for failing to build sufficient numbers of social housing properties - and for attaching the private rental sector too.

David Alexander is chief executive of DJ Alexander Ltd - the largest lettings and estate agency in Scotland and part of the Lomond Group - says that since the Scottish National Party came to power in 2007 there has been an increase of just 1,000 homes in the social sector. 

“We need a serious debate on every part of the housing sector in Scotland. The answer to the growing housing needs of our population lies in a blended solution which involves the owner-occupier market, the private rented and social housing sectors combining their efforts to create sufficient homes for people to live in” insists Alexander.

“These figures highlight the failure of successive governments’ on both sides of the border to build sufficient social housing to meet demand and the consequent growth of the private rented sector to fill this gap over the last three decades.

“Yet the Scottish Government has adopted a housing policy which seeks to single out the private rental sector as being the root cause of housing shortages in Scotland. The truth is that we have over 200,000 social houses fewer now than in 1993 and the only solution in the meantime has been for people to turn to the PRS to fill this growing need.”

He says there are worrying messages from some politicians that disincentivising the private rental sector is one of the central aims of the Scottish Government’s current rent freeze policy.

He adds: “My concern is where are the hundreds of thousands of tenants in the sector going to live in the future.

“What we need is a coherent long-term plan to create a housing policy that reflects the needs and demands of a diverse and changing population. Without the private rented sector there will be no homes for foreign workers, for temporary residents, for those studying or on placement. With a growing social housing waiting list the demand is simply becoming impossible to meet and I believe that if we don’t have a sensible and workable approach in the next year or so then there is a very real risk of a rise in homelessness in Scotland. 

“I believe that opening up communication channels between the various interested parties would be more valuable in ensuring we have a suitable supply of homes in the future. Simply demonising one sector will resolve nothing and is potentially very damaging for the future supply of homes for tenants.”