Union Welcomes Initiative to Scrutinise Agents During Rent Reviews
Landlords and tenants urged to be open if asked to take part
NFU Scotland fully supports greater scrutiny of the behaviour of professional agents who act for landlords or tenants during rent reviews.
This follows the launch of a new project which will examine agent behaviour, and the Union is keen to encourage tenants and landlords who are approached to take part in this survey to do so in an open and frank manner.
This project follows a late amendment during the Bill process of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act. Following parliamentary debate, the Tenant Farming Commissioner is required to produce a report for Scottish Ministers on the conduct of professional agents who act for landlords or tenants during rent reviews.
Over the next six to 12 months, tenants and landlords involved in rent reviews will be asked a series of questions about their experience where the other party employed an agent to act on their behalf. The aim is to understand and assess how the person on the receiving end of an agent’s negotiating tactics feels about the encounter. Following analysis of responses, any aspects of the agent’s behaviour, which could potentially be damaging to landlord/tenant relations, will be identified.
President of NFU Scotland, Allan Bowie, commented: “Our members have consistently told us that they view land agents as the main protagonists of bad feeling in relation to agricultural tenancy matters, and in particular when it comes to rent reviews.
“We pushed this issue strongly during the Act’s passage through parliament, and we are pleased to see that Scottish Government is taking this seriously enough to commission further work on agent behaviour.
“We have committed a great amount of time and resource to try to address the issues around agricultural tenancies in recent years. I see this new project as something which will underpin the excellent work that has been done by the industry to date and which has resulted in a number of industry guidance notes produced by Andrew Thin, Interim Tenant Farming Commissioner.
“NFU Scotland urges tenants and landlords who are contacted in connection with this project to reply in an open and honest manner. This is a unique opportunity which could pave the way for better relationships and a more transparent and fair system of rent reviews in the future.”
Ends
Contact Ruth McClean on 0131 472 4108
Date Published: 13/09/2016
News Article No.: 220/16
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