Question reference: S5W-02262
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 1 September 2016
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Current status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 September 2016
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is using its powers under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 to improve the standard of private sector housing.
Answer
Private home owners are primarily responsible for improving their own property. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 gave local authorities discretionary powers to require owners to carry out work on substandard houses and to provide assistance with repairs and improvements to private property. The 2006 Act also set standards for private rented housing and gave tenants the rights to apply to the Private Rented Housing Panel.
The Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 made some amendments to these powers to make them more effective in response to consultation with local authorities and other stakeholders, and also added additional safety elements to standards in private rented housing and third party reporting for local authorities to apply to the Private Rented Housing Panel on behalf of vulnerable tenants. It is for each local authority to determine how best to make use of those powers in order to meet its statutory duties and strategic aims, with regard to local priorities and resources.