LANDLORDS breaking out the tiny violins and moaning about the rent freeze should not expect any sympathy - they've fleeced their tenants for long enough.
I have lived in a rented property since 2008 when I left Dumfries and moved to Glasgow to study. My dad has frequently likened the halls at Murano Street to 'Prison cell block H' and he wasn't wrong, it was all downhill from there.
Six months into my first private rental experience, we were served eviction notices from the bank - our landlord hadn't been paying the mortgage.
READ MORE: Liz Truss is trying to block Scotland's Gender Recognition Act reforms
He charged us less than it cost to repay, pocketed the cash, and then disappeared.
My next flat in Dennistoun had mouldy walls, and windows that didn't open properly and we had to pay in cash. I heard rats scratching through the walls more than once. It cost £400pm.
When my now-husband and I moved into our first home together in Allison Street, Govanhill, in 2013, we paid £450 a month for a one-bedroom top-floor flat.
I loved that flat because of the memories we made there, and that they only put the rent up once in five years, by £25. After we left they raised the rent from £475 to £550 for the next tenants.
We begrudgingly left because I was offered my first reporter job in Edinburgh. We only lasted 14 months due to how expensive it was. We were paying £795 a month for a tiny one-and-a-half bedroom flat where the kitchen had no window.
When we were moving out, the letting agent patronisingly ran her finger around the inside of the rubber ring of the washing machine barrel, said it wasn't up to standard and if we didn't fix it they would bring in a cleaning crew and charge us for the privilege.
Any landlord or letting agent who claims their main prerogative isn't to make cash is at it.
Let's jump forward to where I am now - Shawlands, one of the upcoming parts of Glasgow, and a 15-minute walk from our Allison Street flat.
READ MORE: Supreme Court says SNP can intervene in Scottish indyref2 case
We agreed to the £795 rent here for two reasons - the flat was double the size of the one we had in Edinburgh and it was in an area that we loved. We were homesick and desperate to flee from the capital and restart our lives here.
Less than three years later, immediately after the pandemic eased and as the cost of living crisis began creeping in - my letting agents informed me my rent was going up by £55 per month to £850. That's £10,200 a year. It enrages me that money could go to a deposit on a house.
I did some calculations. My landlord bought the flat for £150,000 from the people living here before us, I know this because I'm nosey by nature.
If my landlord put down £15,000 (10%), he's probably paying back approximately £630 a month on the mortgage. Letting agents charge between 12% and 20% of the overall rent - so let's use a mid-range 15% as an example.
Each month, my letting agent makes around £127.50 and my landlord gets £92.50 in profit (after the mortgage has been paid, by us).
That's £2640 a year, £1530 for the agents and £1110 for the landlord. I have numerous required minor repairs that I've spent months pestering about and had two different men come round to give me "quotes", it is not worth what I am paying.
READ MORE: SNP attack Liz Truss appointment of economic adviser Matthew Sinclair
It should be noted that this is a conservative estimate - my landlord could have paid a bigger deposit.
I've even had a wooden blind fall from the 10ft ceiling onto my head, hospitalising me with a fractured skull that I had glued back together. The ones they replaced them with now don't work.
So, forgive me if I have little patience for landlords claiming they will leave properties empty in protest at the rent freeze announced by the First Minister. If it was up to me I would bring them back into public ownership and banish private landlords.
They've done nothing to prove they deserve any grace from the rest of us, and I'm sure my fellow renters will agree.
How has the housing crisis affected you?
Are you struggling to buy your first home? Are you paying extortionate rent? Has your landlord hiked it amid a cost of living crisis? Scotland is going through a housing crisis. House prices continue to spiral and experts struggle to see an end in sight. If you have been affected by the housing situation in Scotland, The National wants to hear your story. We want to explain Scotland's housing crisis through the eyes of those experiencing it first-hand.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel