Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Council tenant evictions down
NEW figures obtained from a Freedom of Information request submitted by the Tele show that Dundee City Council evicted 33 tenants in 2019.
Tenants were expelled due to rent arrears, with one resident owing more than £5,500, the highest amount owed by an evicted tenant since 2015.
The 33 evictions this year are a reduction from last year’s 43.
The highest number took place in the DD2 postcode area, which includes Lochee, Charleston and Logie. Evictions in the postcode district increased from 14 in 2018 to 17 in 2019.
However, in the DD3 postcode district, which includes areas such as the Hilltown, Kirkton and Downfield, there was a decrease in evictions, with only 10 council tenants being removed from their homes over the course of the year compared to the 17 evictions which took place in 2018.
The figures show that evictions also fell in the DD4 postcode district, which includes Craigie, Whitfield and Maryfield, from nine in 2018 to six in 2019, and no tenants were evicted in DD1 or DD5 postcodes.
Broughty Ferry councillor Craig Duncan said the reduction was positive.
He said: “I know that Dundee City Council always take eviction as a last resort in a series of steps when trying to sustain a tenancy.
“I’m very happy that there has been a total lack of evictions in the Ferry ward this year and a fall in overall evictions in the city.
“It really shows that the council’s dedication to working with these more problematic tenants is really paying off and helping to sustain those tenancies.”
However, Lochee councillor Charlie Malone was less enthusiastic about the figures. He said: “These figures are very alarming. What we’re seeing in the Lochee ward right now is people living with high levels of poverty. How can people pay rent if they can’t even afford food?
“I would urge anyone having rent trouble to contact the Welfare Rights team. They are excellent.”
A council spokesman said: “Evicting a tenant is not a decision that is taken lightly as Dundee City Council works hard to help its tenants sustain their tenancies.
“If a tenant is experiencing financial difficulties the council will try to assist them, whether it is helping them to maximise the financial assistance they could be entitled to or short-term discretionary payments of housing benefit.”