A “play nicely” guide for landlords, farm tenants and land agents has been issued by the Scottish Government’s independent adviser on tenant farming.
Andrew Thin’s guide is a thinly disguised warning to the sector to put a stop to the kind of festering conflicts that often characterise tenant farming negotiations.
Explaining his decision to issue the guide, Mr Thin said: “A tenanted farm should be a collaborative venture between a landlord and tenant for mutual gain. Evidence suggests, however, that this spirit of collaboration too often breaks down as a result of poor relationship management”.
The move follows the debate in parliament during the progress of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill which drew attention to the problems that can occur when relationships between landowners and tenant farmers turn sour. Much of the focus was on the role of land agents and the guide emphasises that agents have a special responsibility for relationship management.
The guide also points out that fractious or confused relationships cost money and are damaging at a personal level.
It states: “The stress involved can be destructive and demotivating. It can lead to depression and have all sorts of undesirable side effects. In extreme cases illness, marital breakdown and even suicide can result. The broader social effects are also of concern. A fraught relationship between one landlord and his tenants can spread into a wider sense of community unease, with unforeseeable social consequences. Conflict between landlords and tenants is not a trivial matter.”
The guide includes four key criteria which may eventually provide the basis for a code of conduct for landlords, tenants and their agents if it is found to be required.
It adds: “A rent review pushed too hard today can lead to conflict and cost tomorrow, and fee structures sometimes encourage this sort of myopia. Agents often need to put short term considerations to one side in the interests of their wider professionalism.”
Mr Thin points out the costs that can arise as a result of poor landlord-tenant relationships, not only to the parties directly affected but also to the wider rural economy.
The guide sets out four criteria for ensuring good relationships, each of which is elaborated with examples of how it should be applied. The importance of common sense is also underlined, as is the need for both parties to keep up with evolving social expectations in twenty first century Scotland.