MORE than 3,000 people have signed a petition opposing the introduction of rent controls.
The petition, launched on May 1 by the Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL) and the Council of Letting Agents (CLA), calls on the Scottish Government and MSPs to recognise the importance of the private rented sector.
It has been submitted to the Scottish Government in response to its consultation on a New Tenancy for the Private Rented Sector, which closed yesterday.
The petition argues that proposals such as the introduction of rent controls and the removal of a the landlord's right to terminate a tenancy at the end of the agreed lease period would have a detrimental effect upon the landlord investment that is necessary to meet the rising demand in the sector.
John Blackwood, chief executive of the Scottish Association of Landlords, said: "Gathering almost 3,000 signatures in such a short space of time is astonishing and testament to how concerned landlords and agents are by some of these Scottish Government proposals and the impact they could have on the housing market in Scotland.
"Investment in the private rented sector will play a major part in tackling the systemic housing shortage in Scotland, along with the need to increase the availability of social housing and the construction of more privately owned homes.
"However, if the Scottish Government follows through on proposals to bring in rent controls and remove a landlord's right to terminate a tenancy at the end of the agreed lease period, SAL is in no doubt that the required investment to deliver more homes for private rent will dry up."
Mr Blackwood said that the majority of the 33,000 tenants in the private rented sector "rely on the flexibility that renting provides primarily due to cost and location in relation to the changing jobs market".
"Whilst we agree that some changes to the current regime are necessary, we would urge the Scottish Government to consider the wider implications of what is being proposed," he added.
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