Evictions increase six-fold in Scotland after pandemic ban ends
There is a call to support tenants who are struggling to keep a roof over their head.
Last updated 15th Aug 2021
There is a call to support tenants who are struggling to keep a roof over their head.
It's as figures from Scottish Labour show the number of people being evicted has risen six-fold since a ban ended in June.
The rule was introduced by the Scottish Government last year which stopped landlords from forcing tenants to leave if they couldn't pay their rent while the country was under level 3 or 4 restrictions.
According to figures released this week by the Scottish Housing Regulator, the number of people evicted from their homes rose from six in the final quarter of 2020-21 to 38 in the first quarter of 2021-22.
Scottish Labour housing spokesman, Mark Griffin, said: "These are the first signs of the looming crisis we all feared would follow the end of the evictions ban.
"The total lack of long-term planning from the Government has created a ticking time-bomb of evictions, which saw rates spiral instantly in the weeks after the ban was lifted.
"The SNP's decision to abandon the evictions ban with minimal preparation, making tenants waiting months for the grant fund to open, is unimaginably reckless - and it is those who are already struggling that will pay the price.
"A spike in homelessness as a result of the pandemic would be a national scandal. We urgently need to support tenants in rent arrears now in order to avoid a tidal wave of evictions.''
Andy Lockard from Kindness Homeless in Glasgow said: "The strain that this is going to put on homeless services is enormous.
"We are getting ourselves prepared and ready to cope with a large number of people coming to us for help.
"There is a wide range of people in the community facing eviction, it's concerning."