Almost two-thirds of tenants in privately rented properties fear they will lose their home now an eviction ban has been lifted, a survey has found. In a poll carried out by tenants’ union Living Rent between December and March, 62 per cent of 903 tenants questioned said they worry for their homes. In response to the cost-of-living crisis, the Scottish Government instituted a rent freeze and eviction ban in 2022, but they ended at the end of March.
The regulations were replaced by a strengthened adjudication process for rent increases, allowing rises of six per cent or less with an effective cap of 12 per cent. Ministers also published the long awaited Housing (Scotland) Bill last month, part of which allows for the creation of rent control areas where prices are judged to be too high. In the same survey, 98 per cent of respondents said worries over rent increases and eviction had impacted on their mental health