SPF reaction to Scottish Government's expected declaration of a 'housing emergency'

Commenting on the expected declaration of a housing emergency in Scotland, David Melhuish, Director of SPF said: 

"We welcome the Scottish Government's expected declaration of a 'housing emergency' in response to Scottish Labour's motion as an important step. This emergency will need support across the political spectrum if it is at long last to be addressed.

There is no solution to this emergency without addressing the chronic lack of housing supply of all tenures in Scotland, and this declaration presents a significant opportunity to reset the government's policy priorities. 

Today's announcement needs to be followed-up with immediate action to prevent the damage that the current Scottish Housing Bill is doing to much-needed new investment in new rental housing. 

Rent controls have not have been successful in other European countries as they deter investment in housing, and the form they are currently proposed to take will exacerbate and not address Scotland's housing emergency.

This is too big a challenge for the public sector alone to address. The real estate sector is ready to make significant investments into Scottish housing but we risk losing £3.2bn of direct housing investment, including over 20,000 new rental homes, and some £4.5bn of economic value to Scotland if the Bill persists in its current form. We look forward to continuing to work with the Scottish Government to tackle what is now accepted as a national emergency."