A major shake-up of housing's private rental sector has been backed by a Holyrood committee, although MSPs have urged the Scottish Government to consider making changes to the legislation.

Ministers want there to be one type of tenancy for the sector, and also aim to give tenants some protection from excessive rent hikes.

Holyrood's Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee has backed the general principles of the proposed new legislation.

But it raised a number of concerns about "certain aspects" of the private residential tenancy - which would be brought in to replace the currency tenancy system, which is more than 25 years old.

As they published their report on the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Bill, committee convener Jim Eadie said: "The need for good quality affordable housing is clear and is an issue that affects individuals, families and communities right across Scotland.

"The Scottish Government has sought to introduce a Bill that strikes an appropriate balance between the rights of tenants and the rights of landlords, taking account of changes to the housing market and housing provision in recent times.

"It is the committee's view that this balance has been largely achieved. However, we call on the Government to consider amendments at the Stage 2 process to ensure that the end result is one which takes into account the legitimate issues raised in our evidence-taking sessions."

The new tenancy regime would abolish the "no faults" ground for repossession, which allows landlords to take back their property once an initial fixed period has expired.

The new legislation sets out 16 different grounds for ending a tenancy, and while MSPs backed this change they said ministers should work with property owners and letting agents to ensure there is an "appropriate and proportionate balance" between the rights of tenants and landlords.

The Scottish Government has also been urged to give further thought to whether a single, uniform tenancy for the private rental sector will meet the needs of students and the tourism sector, with the committee claiming: "The proposed changes in the Bill might have unintended consequences in reducing the availability of accommodation during peak periods, such as the Edinburgh International Festival."

In addition MSPs want the Government to consider making changes to the legislation which would allow people in abusive relationships to leave a tenancy at short notice without facing financial penalties from landlords.

Housing minister Margaret Burgess said: "We welcome the ICI Committee's support for the landmark Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Bill and its recognition that it will provide security, stability and predictability for 700,000 tenants in Scotland.

"The Bill will introduce a modern, open-ended tenancy where tenants can no longer be asked to leave their homes simply because the fixed term has ended.

"The Bill will also provide clarity and predictability in rent increases where rents can rise only once in 12 months and tenants will have three months' notice of changes to enable them to budget accordingly. In addition, councils will have the ability to apply to ministers for a cap on rent increases in their area for up to five years.

"We note the committee's recommendations and we will consider them ahead of next week's stage 1 debate."