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Scottish regulator update: eviction notices continue to rise as arrears increase
Scottish social landlords sent out hundreds more eviction notices to tenants in August, as the total percentage of rent arrears experienced by the sector continued to rise, the latest data from the regulator has shown.
Registered social landlords (RSLs) and local authorities sent out a total of 647 eviction notices for arrears – a 72% increase from the 379 sent in July. RSLs sent 355 of the notices, while local authorities sent 292.
A further 30 notices were sent to tenants for anti-social behaviour and 20 for other reasons.
The increase comes as the level of rent arrears continues to rise in the sector. Total rent arrears in August were 6.37%, compared to 6.33% in July. The pre-COVID figure at the end of 2018/19 was 5.72%.
Rent arrears were higher in local authorities, which reported a combined figure of 8.22% compared to 4.73% for RSLs.
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The number of people living in temporary accommodation in Scotland also continues to rise, reaching 14,383 households at the end of last month, compared to 14,174 in July.
The latest annual data from the Scottish government shows that the number of households in temporary accommodation had already hit a record high in March this year, when there were 11,665 households living in temporary accommodation.
However, the number of people presenting to local authorities as homeless dropped for the first time in August, with 2,991 applications being received compared to 2,925 in July.
The Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) has been collecting a monthly data return from landlords since April, to measure the impact COVID-19 is having on the sector.
