David Alexander

1 month ago | scotsman.com | David Alexander

​David Alexander says the Scottish Government’s budget increase is welcome – but it won’t help most of the 250,000 Scots on a waiting list for a social homeLast week saw the publication of a report called ‘Still Waiting’ commissioned by the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and the Wheatley Group which revealed that nearly 250,000 people in Scotland are on a waiting list for a social home.

1 month ago | scotsman.com | David Alexander

It looks like the pandemic fired the starting gun for acceleration in the Scottish housing market, writes David AlexanderIn the previous five years between January 2015 and December 2019 the increase was only 11.4 per cent so there has been a substantial shift in the market since the start of the pandemic. There are, of course, other factors but it does look as if the pandemic fired the starting gun on price growth in Scotland’s housing market.

2 months ago | scotsman.com | David Alexander

Multiple purchases in a single transaction come with benefits not longer available elsewhere, writes David AlexanderConfirmation that rent caps will end next month is expected to prompt an increase in the levels of investment in the private rented sector (PRS) in Scotland. Many within the sector believe that uncertainty over the rent cap held back billions of pounds of investment particularly in the build-to-rent market.

2 months ago | scotsman.com | David Alexander

The Scottish Government’s interference in the market has been bad for landlords, investors and tenants, writes David AlexanderThis will be a comfort for landlords and investors of much greater certainty than they have experienced for several years. It is also confirmation of what many of us have been saying for years, which is that rent controls simply do not work. The Scottish Government’s own data shows this clearly.

Jan 23, 2025 | scotsman.com | David Alexander

Two decades of low interest rates have made people complacent about affordability, writes David AlexanderThe announcement last week by the UK Government that strict rules on mortgage lending could be relaxed to allow more people to borrow for a home has been met with a cautious welcome. As part of a series of relaxing borrowing conditions it is hoped that actions such as this – and the easing of other financial regulations – will lead to economic growth.