Focus on Influencing Scotland - July 2026

Welcome to our latest Focus on Influencing Scotland newsletter, which provides an update on our latest policy and influencing work.

We have been involved in Scottish government discussions on the development of the statutory guidance that will underpin the damp and mould regulations due to commence in October.

In gathering evidence for the guidance, I held meetings with several CIH member organisations, ensuring that your experience and concerns were taken into account by the Scottish government. We expect the guidance to be issued in the summer and will of course keep you updated on progress.

Earlier this month, the long-awaited guidance on ending joint tenancies in cases involving domestic abuse was finally published. This is a measure that CIH and others campaigned on ahead of legislation being introduced in 2021 which will commence on 1 August. We firmly believe that more needs to be done to prevent homelessness resulting from domestic abuse and this is a promising step forward.

We also welcome the new measures set out in the 2025 Housing Act which require social landlords to develop and implement a domestic abuse policy. However, landlords also need resources for staff training to achieve real change, and an adequate supply of affordable housing to support a move when this is the most appropriate path. We will continue to work with the Scottish government on this matter. 

Following the Scottish parliamentary elections in May, all housing spokespeople and members of the Social Justice, Housing and Local Government committee have now received a request to meet with CIH Scotland to discuss our members' priorities, as set out in our Manifesto for Housing, with our first meeting scheduled to take place in August.

Earlier this month, I participated in a roundtable with several partners, bringing together housing professionals from across the UK to explore the role of housing organisations in building cohesive, resilient and inclusive communities. The discussion was informal and collaborative.  

We shared experiences, identified emerging challenges, discussed practical responses, and learned from approaches that are making a positive difference on the ground.

We have also had a first meeting with the Scottish government on the planned ‘first right of refusal’ for private tenants, as set out in the SNP election manifesto. Under the plans, private tenants will have ‘first refusal’ if landlords put their homes up for sale, and we will be reaching out to members in the coming months to help inform our position on this issue.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss any of our work in more detail, please get in touch.

Gillian McLees
National director, CIH Scotland
gillian.mclees@cih.org