Individual landlords dominate rental market in Scotland

Research from the University of Sheffield has shown that the large majority of private rented housing in Scotland is owned by individual landlords rather than large-scale companies, despite deregulation in 1989. The findings have been published by the Scottish Government today (Tuesday 24 March) as part of its review of the role of the private rented sector in Scotland´s housing market. Professor Tony Crook and Dr Ed Ferrari, from the University´s Department of Town and Regional Planning, in collaboration with Professor Peter Kemp at the University of Oxford, were commissioned to review the supply of private rented housing in Scotland. In particular they were asked to examine the structure of ownership and the policies and practices of private landlords. Their findings have been published as part of the Government review. Amongst the key findings are: A large majority of dwellings, 84 percent, are owned by individuals. This proportion has increased significantly since the early 1990s.