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Scottish housing association staff absences hit pandemic peak, regulator data shows
More registered social landlord (RSL) staff in Scotland were recorded as absent at the end of June this year than at any other point in the pandemic, data from the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) shows.
According to the SHR’s latest COVID-19 data release, 789 RSL staff were absent at the end of June, up 42% from the 557 staff recorded as absent as part of the regulator’s previous data release in March this year.
The number of staff recorded as absent is higher than any other point since the regulator began collecting data in April last year.
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Between April 2020 and March 2021, the SHR published monthly data releases that monitored the impact the pandemic was having on social landlords in Scotland. The regulator has now begun publishing this information quarterly.
The latest quarterly release also shows the number of RSL staff placed on furlough has fallen by 74% from 678 in March 2021 to 173 at the end of June 2021.
Rent arrears continue to fall from their peak in February 2021, with social housing tenants owing a total of £157.46m in arrears, or 5.91% of rent due.
At 4.31%, RSL rent arrears are now lower than at any other point during the pandemic, however local authority rent arrears remain high at 8.17%.
The regulator’s data also shows that the number of court actions being initiated by social landlords increased by 53% from 196 in the first quarter of 2021 to 299 in the second quarter.
However, the number of eviction notices sent for arrears fell slightly from 2,506 in the first quarter to 2,411 in the second.
Meanwhile, the number of homelessness applications to local authorities fell by 2% from 8,816 in the first quarter of 2021 to 8,668 in the second quarter.
