Request for information on planned rent increases
Dear colleagues,
I am following up my letter of 7 October 2022, in which I asked you to provide some information about rent increases which you will apply from 1 April 2023.
The Scottish Government has now confirmed that regulations will be submitted to the Scottish Parliament to expire the provisions in the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 relating to the rent cap in the social rented sector.
On the back of this development, I wanted to remind you to confirm to us the level of rent increase you propose to implement in April 2023 as soon as practical after you have consulted with tenants and your committee or governing body has made that decision.
Landlords are required to submit this information to us in the Annual Return on the Charter in May each year. You will appreciate however the focus on ensuring that rents remain as affordable as possible in light of the current cost of living crisis.
So that is why we have asked landlords to confirm to us what their planned rent increase will be as soon as that decision has been made. As highlighted in my previous letter, we asked you to notify your Engagement Plan Lead Officer of your planned rent increase, and we would now ask that if you haven’t already done so, you submit this information to us by 28 February 2023. If you are unable to confirm your planned rent increase by that date, please contact your Lead Officer to let us know when you will be able to confirm the decision.
To help the Scottish Government report to Parliament on the position with rent increases after 1 April 2023, we will publish information on the planned increases in due course.
Thank you for your help in this matter.
Kind Regards
Helen Shaw
Director of Regulation