Private Sector Strategy
Housing (Scotland) Act 2006
The Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 received royal assent in January 2006. The Act is wide-ranging and brings about important changes to how local authorities can assist in improving the quality of private sector housing in their areas.
The main purpose of the Act is to address problems of condition and quality in private sector housing through encouragement, and if necessary, enforcement. The underlying principles are that:
owners have primary responsibility for maintaining their houses, with assistance available where necessary;
landlords should provide houses that are suitable and in good condition;
in order to improve the condition of private housing, it is important for local authorities to deal with the issue;
local authorities should have flexibility to allow for local solutions; and
local authorities should adopt a strategic approach.
The Scottish Government has recently issued draft guidance on the implementation of the new powers within the 2006 Act, on which local authorities have been asked to comment. The consultation period for this ends on 31st July 2008, following which finalised guidance will be issued to local authorities to begin implementation of the provisions of the 2006 Act. Further detail will be made available on this site in the near future.
Private Sector Housing Strategy
As a result of legislative and policy development in relation to the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, East Renfrewshire Council will have a range of new powers and duties relating to private sector housing. In addition, the Council has a commitment in its Local Housing Strategy (LHS) to develop a Private Sector Housing Strategy outlining its objectives and priorities for this sector.
East Renfrewshire’s Private Sector Housing Strategy will establish a framework for action, which will set out a range of interventions the Council and its partners plan to undertake to improve the quality of private sector housing.
Work is underway on establishing the priorities and objectives for improving conditions in private sector housing in East Renfrewshire. Further updates on progress will be reported on these pages.
Further information relating to Private Sector Housing can be found on the Private Sector Housing webpage.