A proposal by Scottish First Minister, SNP leader John Swinney, to give private renters ‘first refusal’ to buy their homes, has come under fire from a property policy expert.

Anna Gardiner, Senior Policy Adviser at Scottish Land & Estates warned that the plan risked doing damage to the private rented sector which, she said, plays a critical role in meeting Scotland’s housing needs.

 “Beyond the fundamental question it raises about an individual’s right to sell their property freely, this policy would introduce additional delay, bureaucracy and legal complexity into what should be a straightforward process,” she said.

“That will inevitably drive up costs for both landlords and tenants and accelerate the steady exit of landlords from the sector.

“Successive market interventions – from rent caps to increasingly complex tribunal processes and now potential restrictions on how properties are sold – are having a cumulative effect. Rather than easing pressure, they are reducing supply and making Scotland’s housing crisis more acute.

‘Reducing choice and availability’

 “It is also deeply concerning that there appears to have been little consideration of the impact on rural Scotland where access to rented housing is essential to support local businesses and a mobile workforce, particularly in seasonal industries. Any further reduction in supply will have significant economic consequences.

“Data we released earlier this year shows the direction of travel is already worrying, with a decline in the availability of private rented homes recorded across 14 predominantly rural local authority areas between 2022 and 2025. The sharpest fall was in the Highlands, where there are now more than 1,000 fewer homes available to rent privately than in 2022. Measures like this will only reinforce that trend, ultimately reducing choice and availability for tenants across Scotland.”

The SNP proposal is part of a broader package aimed at tackling the housing crisis by giving tenants more security and promoting home ownership.