As you know tenants in Scotland enjoy the legal right to participate and to be consulted over a variety of topics, including any proposals to change rents.

The Regional Networks, supported by The Scottish Government and TPAS Scotland have been researching affordability and rent setting, including rent setting in different countries.

The Network is fully supported by Patrick Harvie, Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants rights. Mr Harvie said: ‘This is a very important piece of work which is being led by the Rent Affordability working group of the Regional Networks of Tenants and Residents, who work in partnership with the Scottish Government. The group, supported by TPAS, have been researching rents and affordability within the social rented sector for the past year, including research into how other countries approach rent setting. I would encourage you to take part in this research, both the survey and the follow up focus groups’’.

The group wish to undertake a survey of landlords & tenants to identify for example:

Best practice in setting rents - the process

• Tenant involvement in the process of agreeing what potential rise tenants are to be consulted on & on the information & methods used to consult
• Affordability tools used if any

Rent consultation exercise

• Quality of information for tenants
• Methods used to consult tenants
• Outcomes of the consultation

The research will be followed by focus groups. There is concurrent research being carried out with tenants. The survey is open for 4 weeks from 31st August – 28th September 2022.

The report on the research will be published following the completion of the survey and focus groups.

Thank you for agreeing to take part in this survey. It should take no more than ten minutes to complete. Click the button below to get started.