| SPOTLIGHT |
The Scottish Parliament has passed legislation ending the right to buy for new council house and housing association tenants.
The Housing Bill also abolished the right to buy for all new homes built in the social sector.
The Scottish government claimed that the law would mean up to 18,000 homes would be kept in the social rented sector over the next ten years, rather than being sold to tenants.
It insisted that the launch of a new Scottish Housing Regulator – and the introduction of a charter for social housing – would secure value for tenants and taxpayers by assessing landlords' performance.
Housing and Communities Minister Alex Neil claimed that it was a “truly historic” day for social housing in Scotland.
He said: "By passing the Housing Bill, the Scottish Parliament has ensured that social housing is protected for future generations – providing homes for the people, and jobs in the Scottish economy."
Around one in four Scottish households, about 600,000 homes, are in the social rented sector.
The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations welcomed the end of right to buy for all new tenants and new-build properties. However, it said more could have been done to protect affordable rented housing.
It pointed to the withdrawal – following a lack of support from MSPs – of an amendment proposed by Jim Tolson MSP during the Stage 3 debate.
This would have seen another ten-year blanket exemption for housing associations from the Right-to-Buy introduced when the current ten-year exemption ends in 2012.
SFHA Policy and Strategy Manager Andy Young said: “Parliament has recommended that individual housing associations and co-operatives must each apply for their own individual extension to the existing ten-year exemption. We do not think this is an efficient way to go about this, as we believe that the vast majority, if not all, of our members will be able to make a successful case to retain the properties in their rental portfolios.
“A blanket exemption would have allowed Scotland’s social landlords to focus their energies on the many other challenges facing the affordable housing sector. While we agree with the SNP’s commitment not to interfere with existing tenants’ rights, we contend that because housing associations are exempt from the Modernised Right to Buy until 2012, such tenants do not currently have any rights.”
