The variety of struggling social housing tenants being evicted from their houses over non-payment of lease has soared in Scotland.
New figures obtained by the Sunday Mail present 77 households have been faraway from their houses within the first three months of this 12 months – in comparison with solely 4 in the identical interval in 2021.
The cost-of-living disaster has been blamed by campaigners, who're calling for the Scottish Authorities to intervene.
The figures have been launched final week by watchdog physique the Scottish Housing Regulator and present 218 family evictions since January 2021.
Garry Burns, of Homeless Motion Scotland, mentioned: “We warned in August 2021 that councils and housing associations would begin to evict the backlog of tenants who had not been in a position to pay their lease in the course of the pandemic.
“Evictions have devastating impacts on people, households and communities. Susceptible individuals want the Scottish Authorities to intervene.”
The Scottish Authorities introduced in a blanket ban on all evictions in April 2020 to guard tenants who had fallen behind with funds. However the 13-month order was lifted in Could final 12 months.
Council and housing affiliation tenants racked up £167million in lease arrears in the course of the pandemic. Most evictions within the final 15 months – 178 – have been by housing associations. There was additionally a 2000 per cent rise within the variety of tenants taken to courtroom by councils – from 17 within the first three months of 2021 to 366 this 12 months.
Sean Clerkin, of the Scottish Tenants Organisation, mentioned: “The price-of-living disaster is accelerating evictions for lease arrears. The Scottish Authorities has to introduce a lease freeze for personal and public renters and produce again the eviction ban.”
Shelter Scotland’s Alison Watson mentioned: “We have to see a speedy growth of social housing however there additionally must be enhanced protections and assist for current tenants.”
Peter Kelly, of Poverty Alliance, mentioned: “We've been calling on the Scottish Authorities to work with councils, lenders and landlords to create write-off schemes for unsustainable money owed like council tax and lease arrears.”
Aaron Hill, of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, mentioned: “Evictions for non-payment of lease in our sector are uncommon. Nonetheless, they continue to be a final resort in circumstances of anti-social or prison behaviour or if a tenant doesn't reply to their social landlord’s efforts to agree a cost plan.”
Tenants’ Rights Minister Patrick Harvie mentioned: “While eviction actions initiated in courtroom by social landlords have elevated within the final 12 months they're nonetheless considerably beneath pre-pandemic ranges.
“All landlords needs to be doing no matter they'll to maintain individuals in tenancies and take eviction motion solely as a final resort.
“To assist try this, we've offered £83m in housing assist this 12 months and £39m of further funding to keep away from evictions because of the pandemic, together with a £10 million tenant grant fund for individuals who have fallen into arrears.”
Signal as much as our Politics e-newsletter
Get all the highest Scottish politics information despatched straight to your Inbox by signing as much as our Politics e-newsletter.
We cowl Holyrood, Westminster and native councils, with a present give attention to how our governments are dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
To enroll, merely enter your e-mail tackle into the pink field close to the highest of this text.
Alternatively, you may go to our e-newsletter signal up-centre. As soon as you might be there, enter your e-mail tackle and choose Politics and every other Each day Document newsletters which are of curiosity.
Final 12 months Residents Recommendation Scotland noticed a 15 p.c enhance in queries from individuals threatened with homelessness.