How we're working to shape the Housing Bill in Scotland

Beth Reid, Senior Policy Officer, Policy and Campaigns, Scotland

03.04.2025

With the Housing Bill now going through Stage Two of its journey to becoming law, we’ve been working to make sure meaures to help prevent homelessness are as effective as possible. 

What happens when a bill is at stage two? 

Bills go through three stages of scrutiny in Parliament before they become law. The first stage for the Housing Bill, where Parliament decides whether it supports the broad intentions of the Bill, took place in November 2024. 

The next stage involves detailed examination of the content of the Bill by a specialist committee of MSPs. Government and other politicians suggest amendments to the Bill, which get discussed with the Housing Minister. The Social Justice and Social Security Committee either votes to make these changes, or, if committee members are satisfied with what the Minister says or commits to, they may withdraw their amendment, at least for the time being.  

What has Crisis been doing? 

Crisis has been campaigning for these laws for several years, and we have been working to amend the Bill to give better protections for people who face losing their homes and make the new law work well.

What changes has Crisis been pushing for? 

• We want to see one of the legal tests for whether people can access council support, known as the intentionality test, to be removed for people at risk of homelessness. This means people will get the full range of assistance, no matter the reason for their difficulties.  

• We have campaigned for amendments which will make it easier for public services to work together and share information where this will help prevent people’s situation getting worse. 

• We have called on the government to specify exactly what other public services must do, by law, so that they are clearer about their role in preventing homelessness. This means they will have the same level of responsibility as local councils, and so they can’t pass the buck - and assistance should start much earlier. 

• There needs to be a clear assessment process to work out what is going on when someone is threatened with homelessness, agree what help they might need and have it written down in a plan. People will be able to ask for a review of this to make sure that it is done properly.  
  
  
• We’ve called for MSPs to include a final date in the Bill by which the homelessness prevention duties will have to become law – called ‘commencement’. This will be three years after it becomes law – probably late 2028. 

What happens next? 

We’ve been working to change the law to prevent homelessness – but that’s not the only part of this bill – there are other parts that focus on creating new rent controls and strengthening rights for tenants in private rentals. Another parliamentary committee will examine these parts in detail after the Easter break.   

If all goes smoothly, the bill could reach its final stage, Stage 3, before parliament’s summer recess. At this stage, the whole of the Scottish Parliament will be able to examine it and make any final changes. At Crisis we will continue to press the government at this point, to make sure the laws are as strong and effective as possible.