A loophole in Scotland’s temporary rent controls has seen private landlords raising rents for new tenancies more than anywhere else in the UK, data reveals.
In an effort to tackle the housing crisis, the Scottish government this spring introduced a temporary rent cap limiting annual rises to 3% in most cases. But it allowed landlords to go higher if they were drawing up a new tenancy agreement.
Rental figures from Zoopla, the property website, suggest that Scotland’s landlords have used the clause to maximize the rent for new tenancies, which rose 12.7% in the year to July, faster than the…
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More than half a million homes in Australia’s three biggest cities could house granny flats, report finds
Hot off the back of last week’s national housing crisis summit, new analysis across Australia’s three biggest cities has found more than 650,000 residential properties with the potential to build a granny flat.
Key points:
Sydney was found to have the most granny flat development opportunities
The report’s authors said they found “untapped development potential” in Australia’s three biggest cities
They say a national analysis could yield more than a million potential sites
Advocates say it could help ease pressure from historic low vacancy rates of less than 1 per cent, which has left people scrambling for affordable rentals.
The…
These short-term rental owners followed all the regulations. Now the province is changing the rules
Two Airbnb operators in British Columbia say they were blindsided by the province’s recent moves to regulate the short-term rental sector, and are asking for more leniency.
In particular, the owners say properties that are specifically zoned for short-term rentals should be exempt from incoming provincial legislation that means owners can only rent out their property on apps like Airbnb and VRBO if they live in the home — barring certain exceptions like resorts towns and laneway homes.
Len Archer, who bought a condo in a resort property called Playa del Sol in Kelowna, BC, in 2017, says he has…