Lettings and estate agency DJ Alexander Ltd said that while all parties agreed that more housebuilding was essential, there were few proposed policies which would begin to alleviate the housing problems in Scotland in the short term and even some which would exacerbate the current position.

According to the firm, the SNP, who have been in power for 20 years, offer little to address the current housing emergency other than sticking to an existing target of 110,000 affordable homes to be built between 2020 and 2031, which most acknowledge will not be achieved and will do little to address the major lack of housebuilding in Scotland.

They are also offering up to £10,000 to first-time buyers, and tenants being given the first refusal to buy a property being sold by their landlord at a “fair market rate”.

DJ Alexander described the Conservatives as having, by far, the most extensive policies directly related to housing. They would cancel proposed rent controls to encourage investment in the private rented sector (PRS), remove the Building Safety levy, ditch net zero targets, reform the planning framework which restricts how and where homes can be built, and scrap the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) and reduce the Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS) applied to second and investment homes with the aim of making house buying much cheaper for everyone.

Labour wants 50,000 affordable homes built in the next parliamentary term and a total of 125,000 across all tenures in the five-year period. This has not been achieved since 2003-04 to 2007-08, so DJ Alexander recognises the pledge as a “tall order” but one which “shows ambition”. More training for construction employees and the creation of Housing Development Trusts to oversee developments in each area of Scotland have been mooted. Labour also wants to work in partnership with the PRS, recognising the role it plays in meeting housing needs.

The Liberal Democrats want more houses, to encourage social housing and to restore confidence in the PRS and set a new national housing strategy to address current shortages. Reform is calling for 15,000 new houses a year and would repeal SNP regulations for all new tenancies, whilst keeping existing tenancies untouched.

The Greens want 15,700 new houses built a year with restrictions on new student and build-to-rent developments, and will support councils to introduce rent controls as soon as possible, reinstate the previous rent controls and expand these to include student accommodation. They also call for the removal of the annual 6% rent ceiling.

David Alexander, the chief executive officer of DJ Alexander Scotland, commented: “Everyone agrees that more homes need to be built in Scotland, but while these manifestos recognise this, there remains a need for an overall strategy with a sense of urgency. The More Homes Scotland body proposed by the SNP isn’t due to be established for at least another year, and there is little sense that much will change in the short to medium term.

“Easing planning regulations, accessing funding through the Scottish Investment Bank in the case of the Labour party or through pension fund assets by the SNP may be sound ideas but the clear way to ensure more housebuilding occurs is to limit building restrictions, encourage investment, and make Scotland an attractive place for homebuyers, property investors, and landlords to come.

“It is encouraging to see that Labour, the Conservatives, and the Liberal Democrats are all keen to maintain and develop relations with the private rented sector to ensure that it is able to continue to play its pivotal role in providing homes for people in Scotland.”

David concluded: “While there is concern that, regardless of the result on the 7th of May, the housing sector ends up experiencing more of the same. Post-election, there may simply be more indecision, more delays, and more unnecessary regulation which hampers investment.

“I would hope that whatever the composition of the new Scottish Government, that they will put housing at the top of the agenda and ensure that the current housing emergency is addressed and does not exist in five years’ time. Anything less would be a disgrace.”