Tag: Housing to 2040 strategy

“Everyone living in Scotland is entitled to a warm, comfortable and safe place to live”

Plans for a new legal requirement for all homes to meet the same standards will be included in a major national housing strategy published today.

The new Housing Standard, applying to all tenures, is an important element of Housing to 2040, which will set the path for how Scotland’s homes and communities should look and feel in 2040

The new standard will create a single set of quality and accessibility standards, no matter whether a home is owned or rented.

Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “Everyone living in Scotland is entitled to a warm, comfortable and safe place to live.

“That’s why we will develop a new Housing Standard which will be aligned to standards for energy efficiency and heating, meeting expectations for housing as a human right and delivering homes that underpin health and wellbeing.

“This will cover all homes, new and existing, with no margins of tolerance for sub-standard accommodation. Importantly we will also enshrine the Standard in law.

“The Scottish Government will work with local authorities, registered social landlords, private landlords and communities to drive improvements to the quality of all homes so that everyone is living in good quality accommodation, regardless of whether they own it or rent it from a private or social landlord.

“Our existing homes need to keep pace with new homes to ensure no one is left behind.”

Following consultation, and subject to the outcome of the election, the Scottish Government will publish a draft Standard in 2023 and introduce legislation in 2024-25, for phased introduction between 2025 and 2030, recognising that different types of homes in different places may need more or less time to achieve compliance.

Housing to 2040 was published by the Scottish Government this morning.

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Rented housing route map to be published next week

A new strategy for Scotland’s rented sector will improve accessibility, affordability and standards, as part of a new 20 year route map for housing to be published next week.

The Rented Sector strategy will be a key element of Housing to 2040 – Scotland’s first long-term housing plan which will set the path for how homes and communities should look and feel in 2040. It will specifically address private and social rent and agricultural tenancies, to ensure an affordable, quality sector offering choice to meet people’s needs.

Tenants will be closely involved in the development of the strategy with a national network of social rented tenants developed alongside a Tenant Participation Panel.

Housing to 2040 will also include a proposal for a new Housing Bill, to be introduced early in the next parliament, in order to take forward further reforms in the rented sector and increase the rights of tenants.

Speaking at the Chartered Institute of Housing’s virtual Scotland’s Housing Festival 2021, Housing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “Housing to 2040 sets out Scotland’s approach to improving the nation’s housing over the next two decades, and making improvements in the rented sector is a vital part of that.

“It will set out our plans to develop a new Rented Sector strategy that will improve accessibility, affordability and standards across the whole rented sector, so we can increase affordability and quality of choice when finding a home. 

“In the private rented sector, we need to address the economic impacts of the pandemic and ensure homes are affordable now and in the long term.  Local authorities need to be able to tackle unreasonably high rents, so we will also reshape the existing Rent Pressure Zone legislation to make it an effective tool for them to use.

“Subject to the outcome of the election, we will make sure this is in law by bringing forward a new Housing Bill early in the next parliament, which will also strengthen the rights of tenants with greater protections from unreasonable rent increases and unfair evictions.”