Question reference: S6W-16385
- Date lodged: 29 March 2023
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Current status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 21 April 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the provisions of the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Act 2022 relating to tenancies should be extended.
Answer
The Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Act 2022 introduced a range of changes to specific legislative areas, many of which originated in temporary Scottish and UK Covid legislation.
These reforms include permanent public health protection powers, similar to those which already exist in England and Wales, increased protection for private rented tenants facing evictions, and a temporary extension of some changes in the justice system to help manage the backlog of court cases arising from the pandemic.
The Act is now permanent legislation including those provisions relating to the private rented sector which means extension to these powers are no longer required.
The provisions in the Act relating to the private rented sector, saw pre eviction protocols relating to rent arrears made permanent, ensuring that tenants who reside in the sector have all the information they need about their rights and also ensuring that Tribunals are able to continue taking circumstances of both parties into account when deciding whether to grant an eviction order or not.