Scotland’s housing minister has described landlords as ‘working people’, unlike UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Paul McLennan was speaking at the Scottish Letting Day, the annual conference of the Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL).
He also said landlords have a right to make a return on their investment.
In the Autumn Budget Starmer said the government doesn’t consider landlords to be ‘working people’. This was likely in a bid to justify the higher 5% stamp duty surcharge on investment purchases, after Labour said it wouldn’t hike taxes on ‘working people’ in its manifesto.
John Blackwood, chief executive of the Scottish Association of Landlords, said: “It was wonderful to have the Housing Minister speak directly to us.
“We were relieved to hear that the Scottish government considers landlords to be working people and that we have the right to make a return on our investments, signalling that the government has moved on from the days of the Bute House Agreement.
“I want to thank everyone who contributed to making our annual conference such a success and say that I look forward to us all getting back together next year.”
Since the end of the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens, it’s thought the Scottish government is adopting a friendlier position towards property investors.
Indeed, McLennan has previously spoken of wanting to “reset” the relationship with Scotland’s private rented sector, and has told landlords that they have a key role to play in solving Scotland’s housing crisis.
Scottish Letting Day 2024 was held at the home of Scottish Rugby, Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, attracting landlords, letting agents, and other stakeholders from across the country.
