The wide-ranging Housing Bill was published in March, external and its main aims are to prevent homelessness and strengthen tenants’ rights.

The proposals include long term rent controls for private tenancies, new rights to keep pets, allowing people to decorate rented homes and stronger protection against evictions.

If passed, the bill will place a duty on local councils to carry out assessments on the state of private accommodation in their area.

It also creates the power to bring in rent controls in specific geographical areas.

The bill is at its early stages and one of the main amendments which will be considered in Holyrood later is a cap on rent increases in rent control areas which is linked to the Consumer Price Index – one measure of inflation – plus 1%, up to a maximum increase of 6%.

The Housing Bill has been welcomed by some tenants’ rights groups but landlord groups have warned the legislation would exacerbate Scotland’s housing crisis as the changes will put people off renting out their properties.

Meanwhile Gordon MacRae, assistant director at Shelter, said the bill may prevent homelessness at some point in the future, “but unless it’s matched with real resources, I think it could actually make it worse”.

He told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme the bill gives extra duties to local authorities who are struggling to deliver basic services, “but it’s not currently being matched with any new money”.

It is not expected the bill, if passed, will come into effect until at least 2026.