Rent caps are gone: How can Govanhill tenants can fight back?
With Scotland’s rent cap scrapped last month, Govanhill residents run the risk of being hit with unaffordable rent hikes — some as high as 100%. As protections vanish, housing campaigners warn of a deepening crisis and urge tenants to organise for rent controls and community stability.
Local resident checks out housing prices in Govanhill
Words by Ruby Dark, Living Rent | Photo by Iain McLellan
“Where I live now is my home, but the ‘market rent’ for our flat is more than double what I currently pay, so I obviously wouldn’t be able to afford that. If I had that sort of rent increase I’d have to move away from the community that has been my home for more than a decade.” - Matthew, Living Rent member and long-term resident of Govanhill.
From the beginning of last month, rent cap measures came to an end in Scotland. Tenants have been left vulnerable to significant rent increases, with little protections against predatory landlords. How could this impact renters in Govanhill? And what can we do to fight for better protections and affordable housing?
In November 2022, Scotland introduced a rent freeze and ban on evictions. This came in the midst of the cost of living crisis and offered security to tenants in the precarious private rental market. These measures came to an end in 2024, with the Rent Adjudication system set up in the interim.
Although rents were no longer frozen, they were capped, so that rents couldn’t be increased by more than 12% in a year. Tenants could challenge any rent increase they felt was unreasonable. This was a much needed protection for tenants across Scotland; 866 appeals were made to the scheme, with the average rent increase capped at 9 percent.
12% is still an unaffordable increase for many people, but at least some protection against enormous rent increases. Last year, Living Rent member Sam and his flatmate received an 80% increase from his landlord, and successfully challenged it by applying to Renters Services Scotland (RSS). Sadly, their landlord responded by evicting them, leading to what Sam describes as a “constant state of anxiety.”
“It was a really gruelling process and we didn’t know if we’d have a roof over our heads at the end of it. Thankfully my flatmate and I had the knowledge and support to withstand it, but it wasn’t easy.”
Although we can all feel that the cost of living crisis is very much ongoing, from April 1, the Rent Adjudication measures came to an end. And the government hasn’t put any protections in place to replace them. This means that now, there is essentially no limit on how much landlords can increase your rent or the rent of your friends, neighbours, and community.
Now, the only cap against rent increases is measured against the market rate. Essentially, this means that landlords can raise rent in line with the average price of similar properties on the market. This leaves tenants vulnerable to astronomical rent hikes, especially in neighbourhoods where the cost of renting has significantly increased, like Govanhill.
Tenants can still challenge rent increases that they believe are out of line with the market rate, but there’s no guarantees that RSS will rule in their favour. After assessing rents on similar properties, RSS can even increase rent beyond what landlords have proposed.
‘Market rent’ is a deliberately murky benchmark, especially as the rental market in Glasgow and the UK is out of control. Analysis from CityLets showed that over the last 10 years, average rents in Glasgow have increased by 80%. These rent increases exacerbate inequality, leaving people unable to save for a deposit, spending more and more of their wages on rent, which goes straight into the pockets of private landlords.
The end of rent adjudication puts people in our community in an extremely vulnerable position. In November 2024, members of Living Rent Govanhill faced a 100% rent increase from their landlord. With the help of the union, they successfully challenged this increase using the Rent Adjudication system, which was settled at 12%. But there’s no system in place to offer this protection anymore.
A 100% rent increase would leave most people at risk of homelessness, destitution, or being forced out of their communities. Simply paying more rent isn’t a feasible option for many people in our community. But neither is moving out of the neighbourhood, which means leaving behind family, friends, jobs and support systems. People who have made Govanhill their home now face the risk of being pushed out.
Glasgow City Council declared a housing emergency in November 2023. There isn’t enough affordable housing in the city as it is, and with rent increases left to spiral uncontrollably, the situation can only get worse.
“This government has completely forgotten tenants, leaving us vulnerable to huge rent increases, when sky-high rents are already pushing people into poverty. Landlords claim this is necessary because rent caps led to a lack of investment, but this isn’t true. According to government data, the number of properties in the sector increased over this period. The government has chosen to leave tenants at the mercy of uncapped rents, but as a community, we can fight this.” - Ellen Chapman, Living Rent Govanhill’s campaign’s officer.
Living Rent is campaigning for rent controls in Scotland and interim protections for tenants in the meantime. The union has a strong history of fighting for tenants’ rights in the unforgiving private rental market. With meaningful rent controls, we can ensure safe, secure and affordable housing for the people of Scotland.
So what can you do if you’re impacted by this change? If you’ve faced a rent increase, a threat of eviction, or are worried about what the end of rent caps might mean for you, come along to a Living Rent meeting.
Join Living Rent Govanhill at MILK Community Cafe for their Southside Defence Meeting on Monday 26 May from 6:30-8pm: www.livingrent.org/member_defence_southside