We must take farm rent reviews seriously - Christopher Henderson

With the long-heralded proposals to introduce a new rent test based on the productive capacity of the holding quietly dropped earlier this year, the authorities have gone back to square one in an attempt to find a more equitable formula.

Prior to starting any legislative work on a new rent review test for tenants, the Scottish government has commissioned a market research company to survey Scotland’s tenant farmers to gauge their views on the current procedures for rent reviews.

And encouraging all tenants to complete and return the forms, the Scottish Tenant Farmers Association has warned that without a wholehearted response from the sector, it could be difficult to persuade the government to introduce a new test.

STFA chairman Christopher Nicholson said, “The survey results will be used to inform a review of the rent review test and process for agricultural tenancies.

“So it is important for as many tenants as possible to complete and return surveys to allow any future changes to the rent test to take into account tenants’ views and experiences.”

He added that the current open market rent test had proved an unsatisfactory method of setting rents over the decades in which it had been used.