The Fight for Rent Control: Law, Politics and the People

by Paul Q. Watchman, Peter Robson (Editor)

Overview

This monograph looks at the various strands of policy and activities which produced the first residential Rent Act in 1915. It looks at the ways in which tenants were removed from the land in Ireland and Scotland leading to a strong aversion to landlords as a group. This is addressed in the way it appears in art, literature, song and poetry. It traces the ways in which actions of women-led tenants' groups before and during the First World War offered an alternative way for housing policy. Precisely how these actions linked with political and industrial forces are explored. The study concludes with how this legislation links with modern day housing policy issues.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781399505598
Publisher:	Edinburgh University Press
Publication date:	03/31/2025
Pages:	340
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Paul Q. Watchman was Professor of Law at University of Glasgow

Peter Robson was Professor of Law at the University of Strathclyde

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

An Introduction from the Editor
Peter Robson

1. Introduction

2. Landlord and Tenant Relationships in Glasgow 1850-1914

3. The Rent Strikes of 1915 in Context

4. Rent Increases and Rent Agitation

5. The Dominant Focus of Government

6. The Birth Pangs of a Policy on the Housing Crisis

7. The Struggle Comes to a Climax

8. The Emergence of the Rent Increase and Mortgage (War Restrictions) Act

9. The Final Countdown

Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

For those who are interested in women’s contribution to the neglected area of property law history, this fascinating book offers a valuable account of the role of women in the radical fight for the Rent Acts’.

Rosemary Auchmuty

Paul Watchman’s compelling account of the introduction of rent controls in 1915 covers a wide range of issues that are central to modern history. Watchman combines meticulous archival research with an eye for the larger picture, and his book will interest anyone seeking to understand the significant transformations of British social, economic and political life in the early twentieth century.

Martin Daunton