Nov 20 2013
STFA calls for fair play at rent reviews
News Release
Scottish Tenant Farmers Association
19th November 2013
STFA calls for fair play and sense at rent reviews
With last minute rent negotiations taking place before the November term date, the Scottish Tenant Farmers Association is urging tenants to make sure that land agents seeking rent rises are following the guides to rent reviews published this year by the TFF and SAAVA. The guides set out correct timelines, process and methodology for the conduct of rent reviews in Scotland.
In response to calls from tenants being faced with the usual eleventh hour pressure tactics from land agents, Chairman Christopher Nicholson commented; “RICS and SAAVA have agreed that their agents will follow the TFF guides to rent reviews, so it is disappointing to hear from tenants across Scotland who are facing last minute demands for unsustainable rent increases from agents who are reluctant to offer clear and transparent explanations as to how they arrived at their figures.
“We are also concerned that the ever increasing rent levels seen in Scotland are threatening the long term sustainability of the tenanted sector. It is clear that tenanted holdings are suffering from lack of investment in infrastructure, and with the current rents being paid, tenants are left with insufficient funds to invest in the fabric of their farms.
After two years of poor harvests in Scotland, reduced sales of store lambs and calves as a result of the atrocious spring weather, and the prospect of severe cuts in CAP support payments, it is ironic that landlords continue to seek increased rents. Yet again, this round of rent reviews provides more evidence of the need not only to regulate the conduct of landlords’ agents but also to change the law surrounding rent reviews so that farm rents reflect the economic fortunes of farming and allow long term sustainable businesses to prosper in the tenanted sector.