Question reference: S6W-03245
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 22 September 2021 Registered interest
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Current status: Answered by Shona Robison on 8 October 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many Registered Social Landlords have applied to it to raise their rents by over (a) 5% and (b) 10% in each of the last five years, and how many applications were approved.
Answer
While it is up to individual social landlords to strike the best balance between rent levels and meeting the housing needs of local communities, rents for social rented homes should not be set without regard to the importance of affordability for tenants. The Scottish Government therefore considers the proposed rents for Registered Social Landlord social rented homes at the point of first let as part of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme grant assessment process
Applications from Registered Social Landlords for grant funding to deliver projects through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme at tender stage contain information on any projected rent levels at the date of completion which are more than 5% above the relevant social rent benchmark published by the Scottish Government.
Information on the number of tender applications which were approved which contained Registered Social Landlord projected rent levels at the point of completion which exceeded the relevant social rent benchmark by more than 5% began to be collected in 2018-19 as follows:
Projected rent levels more than 5% and up to 10% above benchmark | Projected rent levels more than 5% and also more than 10% above benchmark | Projected rent levels more than 10% above benchmark
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Number of Registered Social Landlords | Number of tender applications approved | Number of Registered Social Landlords | Number of tender applications approved | Number of Registered Social Landlords
| Number of tender applications approved | |
2018-19 | 12 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
2019-20 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 5 |
2020-21 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 11 |
At tender stage, the estimated completion dates of the above projects were as follows:
Estimated project completion dates for applications containing projected rent levels which were more than 5% and up to 10% above benchmark | Estimated project completion dates for applications containing projected rent levels which were more than 5% and also more than 10% above benchmark | Estimated project completion dates for applications containing projected rent levels which were more than 10% above benchmark
| |
2018-19 | 2018-19: 1 project 2019-20: 6 projects 2020-21: 7 projects
| 2018-19: 1 project 2019-20: 4 projects 2020-21: 2 projects | 2019-20: 4 projects
|
2019-20 | 2019-20: 1 project 2020-21: 4 projects 2021-22: 1 project 2022-23: 1 project
| 2020-21: 5 projects 2021-22: 3 projects 2023-24: 1 project
| 2019-20: 1 project 2020-21: 1 project 2021-22: 2 projects 2023-24: 1 project |
2020-21 | 2021-22: 3 projects 2022-23: 7 projects
| 2020-21: 1 project 2021-22: 3 projects 2022-23: 3 projects
| 2020-21: 1 project 2021-22: 1 project 2022-23: 7 projects 2023-24: 2 projects
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Information is not available on any applications that may not have been approved.