IT was once the domain of students and those in need of a short-term place to stay.

Now the private rented sector is predicted to take over social housing as increasing numbers of Scots turn to rented accommodation.

Issues such as difficulties in getting mortgages and lengthy waiting lists for social housing mean more than 312,000 households across Scotland are now living in properties that are rented privately - accounting for 13% of all housing.

And the number of families living in private lets has risen to 80,000, compared to just 20,000 in 1999.

But the sector is still plagued with horror stories of tenants having to live in properties in a state of disrepair and being kicked out at short notice.

More than 450 responses have now been submitted to a Scottish Government consultation on reforming Scotland's tenancy system, the first major overhaul of legislation in the private rented sector in 25 years.

One of the most controversial areas has been plans to stop landlords being able to repossess properties on "no-fault" grounds.

Letting agents say this will lead to a decline in investment and drop in the number of properties available for private rent in Scotland. But tenant's representatives have backed the idea as a way in which to provide more security for those who rent their property.

Housing charity Shelter Scotland has also launched a campaign to make Scotland's private rented sector "fit for purpose".

Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland, said housing in Scotland was undergoing a "fairly big shift" with size of the private rented sector (PRS) doubling over the past decade.

In 1999, the private rented sector accounted for just five per cent of housing in Scotland, compared to 13% today.

Owner occupied homes accounted for around two-thirds of housing in 2011 and social rented properties accounted for 23%.

Brown said: "The private rented sector has been the fastest growing part of the housing market - one reason is because home ownership has become less tenable for people in the past five to six years.

"The other factor has been has been failure of all political parties to invest in sufficient social housing over the last 15-20 years."

"The population is also increasing and more people are living alone.

"So there are big shifts happening which is having an impact on the market."

He added: "If it continues at this rate you are going to find the PRS will increase significantly again and could become bigger than social housing.

"That is quite a significant shift from a Scotland which 25-30 years ago had more people in the social housing than home owners."

cotland is still lagging behind far countries such as Germany, where 60% of housing stock is privately rented. In Switzerland the figure is 56% and in France, 22%.

Shelter Scotland, which backs the removal of the "no-fault clause", is running the 'Making Renting Right' campaign calling for the private rented sector to be overhauled to provide "long term homes", rather than seen only as short-term housing.

Statistics show 71% of tenants in the private rented sector stay in their homes for less than two years, compared to 10% of owner occupiers and 24% of social renters.

In contrast, only 8% of tenants privately renting stay in the same home for more than 10 years, compared to 58% of owner occupiers and 39% of social renters.

A worrying trend also shows 18% of all homeless applications now come from the private rented sector, a rise of 38% in the last five years.

Brown said: "At the heart of what we are asking for in this campaign is the need to have a modern 21st century form of tenancy agreement.

"Currently the lease or tenancy arrangement by default is the Scottish short assured tenancy, which effectively runs for six months and then it is renewed on a monthly or two-monthly basis.

"That means that you have very little by way of security - and security of tenure is the big issue that people tell us about when they are in the private rented sector."

"People simply don't feel they can plan ahead and put down roots in a neighbourhood and yet in practical terms they can't afford anything else and are forced into that option."

Under the current system of short-assured tenancy, after the initial period of let, the landlord has the right to reclaim the property.

However under the new proposals, this "no-fault" ground would be removed, and landlords would have to instead give reasons for repossession - such as wanting to sell the home or anti-social behaviour from the tenant.

But a submission from the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) says it has the possibility to be one of the "most seminal decisions the PRS has ever seen."

It added: "One of the major impacts this will have on the sector is that landlords being unable to end the tenancy when required will potentially withdraw all future and current investment from the sector."

The response from ARLA also claims landlords will be more selective with the tenants they choose, creating a "somewhat exclusive PRS".

"This has the potential to have a serious increase in rents especially for those areas in Scotland described as property hot spots, where demand for certain properties already outweigh supply," it added.

Concerns have also been raised by the National Farmers Union of Scotland (NFUS), which says it could impact on 'tied houses' which are often offered by farmers as part of employment package for workers, particularly in areas where housing is scarce.

"Removal of the no fault ground in its entirety is draconian and will hamper the ability of businesses to operate in an efficient manner," it stated.

However Derek Logie, chief executive of Rural Housing Scotland, a charity which provides help and support on housing issues, said the removal of the no fault ground would help improve security for tenants living in rural areas.

"Private tenants in rural areas tend to be there for long-term, as there are not really any social housing alternatives," he said.

"But with the current tenancy arrangements, they are living with insecurity all the time. They might never get kicked out, but there is always a bit of a doubt there in people's minds.

"The no-fault grounds just add to that in some respects, as landlords don't have to give a reason as to why they want to repossess the property."

The removal of the no-clause grounds has also been backed by the Living Rent campaign, which said it was "essential for any reform of the tenancy system."

A submission from the campaign, which aims to improve conditions for private renters, said: "Increasing security of tenure could lead to more stable and stronger communities, where tenants could get to know their neighbours and get involved in their community.

"This could lead to reduced anti-social behaviour noise complaints, and an increase in community cohesion, because tenants would be able to put down roots."

Other changes proposed in the Scottish Government consultation include introducing a minimum tenancy of six months and linking the notice to quit which landlords and tenants must give each other to the length of time the tenant has lived in the property.

A Scottish Government spokesman said the responses would be analysed and the next steps would be outlined in the coming weeks.

He added: "A new tenancy system provides an opportunity to improve the private rented sector for both tenants and landlords.

"We can tackle some of the long-standing issues both parties face to make sure our private rented sector is a strong as it can be.

"Our vision is for Scotland's private rented sector to be an attractive and affordable housing option for anyone who wishes to live in it and reforming the tenancy system is an important part of achieving this vision."