A recent study has revealed that, contrary to Government proposals, tenants in Scotland don’t want three-year tenancies, with only 6.4 percent stating that they would prefer a tenancy lasting three years, fewer than the average of 7.2 percent for the whole of the UK.
The research from online letting agent MakeUrMove found that instead, 32 percent of Scottish tenants want tenancies to last 12 months, and a further 12 percent want tenancies to last for no more than two years.
The Government recently held a consultation on introducing three-year minimum tenancies, with a six month break clause option. The proposals are designed to protect tenants from eviction.
While the outcome of the consultation is yet to be published, these new findings show many in Scotland prefer flexibility and freedom when it comes to tenancies, with 24 percent saying flexibility was the most important factor when looking at the length of their tenancy.
29 percent of Scottish tenants stated that they’d actually like a tenancy to last significantly longer than three years, and over a third (37 percent) of the tenants questioned had spent more than five years in their current rental property.
MakeUrMove managing director, Alexandra Morris, commented: “Many tenancy agreements are currently set at twelve months with a six months break clause and we’ve found nearly a third of tenants are happy with this length. Our findings reinforce that the majority of people in Scotland want either the flexibility of a shorter rental, or the security of a much, much longer term.
“The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government stated that ‘being able to call your rental property your home is vital to putting down roots and building stronger communities’, yet our research shows that 87 percent of tenants already think of their rental property as a home under the current regulations.”
The findings also revealed that 58 percent of tenants surveyed in Scotland had been the ones to give notice on their last tenancy, with just 6 percent being evicted by the landlord.
Alexandra added: “While we don’t yet know the outcome of the consultation, our study suggests three-year minimum tenancies aren’t going to address tenants key concerns around their rental properties. The Government has once again looked at an issue in isolation with no regard for other related issues and proposed regulations. We believe that in order to make the rental market work for everyone in Scotland, someone needs to take a step back and look at the cumulative effect of all changes to the market.”
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