Edinburgh housing: Tenants living in fear of eviction being ‘bullied’ into accepting unlawful rent hikes

Tenants are being ‘bullied’ with eviction threats if they don’t accept rent hikes, it has been claimed.

Landlords are ‘blackmailing’ tenants to accept rent increases or face eviction according to tenants union Living Rent.

Scores of tenants have reported being pressured into rent increases of up to £400 by landlords threatening eviction or a higher rent increase after the current 3 per cent rent cap comes to an end.

Private landlords are only allowed to raise rents by a maximum of 3 per cent but they can increase rent further if the tenant agrees to it. The union claims this is leading to tenants being pressured.

The rent cap is currently 3 per cent

Landlords can also apply to Rent Service Scotland to increase the figure to 6 per cent if they have a valid reason.

One couple who live in a two bedroom flat in Edinburgh said that their landlord tried to pressure them into accepting a rent increase of £400 from £1200 to £1600, threatening to sell up or move into the flat with them if they didn’t accept.

“Our landlord said he was going to increase our rent from £1200 to £1600 or else he was going to sell the flat and we would have to leave.

"At one point he told us that he was going to move in that night so we changed the locks. We wrote to him setting out our rights which scared him off for a bit but then he tried to hike up our rent, completely ignoring the rent cap currently in place as well as the three month notice period needed.

“This has made living here massively stressful and cause a lot of anxiety. He knows that my mental health is not great and by pushing for an illegal eviction or a rent hike he has made it worse.”

Living Rent claims that landlords getting tenants to agree to rent increases above the rent cap is a form of blackmail due to the fears tenants have over being evicted. The current eviction ban is in place until September.

Aditi Jehangir, Secretary for Living Rent says:

"Tenants are being bullied into accepting rent hikes right under the government’s nose. As landlords complain about the rent cap supporting tenants too much, these examples of landlords blackmailing tenants with threats of increased rents or homelessness show who really has the power.

Landlords have been complaining that they need to raise rents or sell but these examples show who is actually impacted by the housing crisis.

“We need rent controls to make homes affordable, to ensure tenants are not living in fear of rent increases or eviction. We need rent controls to give tenants more power over their homes. And we need rent controls to penalise landlords who break the law.”

The changes will be in force until September 30, but the Scottish Government can seek a further six-month extension.

The Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL), Scottish Land and Estates (SLE) and Propertymark insist the law is disproportionate and unfair.

They have submitted a petition to the Court of Session in Edinburgh seeking a judicial review.