Demand for housing advice doubles: Report

THE demand for housing advice has almost doubled as the cost-ofliving crisis intensifies, according to a report.

The Citizens Advice Scotland study shows more people are now seeking support on rent costs and other housing issues than they were before the pandemic.

Aoife Deery, CAS social justice spokesperson, has called on the Scottish Government to offer more support to those struggling.

Concern around landlords increasing rent prices is now eight times higher than at the start of the pandemic, with views of online advice pages rising 48%.

Page views for online advice around foodbanks and crisis support have almost doubled since March 2021.

Preliminary 12-month data for guidance provided by the Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) also suggests demand for debt advice is close to pre-pandemic levels.

Meanwhile, demand for advice around utilities, namely energy, is now higher than before the pandemic, according to the data.

It represents more than 5% of all advice given, compared to 3.3% before the pandemic.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are investing almost £770 million per year in cost-of-living support, including through a range of family benefits not available elsewhere in the UK, doubling the Scottish Child Payment, mitigating the bedroom tax, and increasing Scottish benefits by 6%.

“This is on top of £12 million we are investing this year in organisations such as Citizens Advice Scotland to help people make the most of their income and support those experiencing problem debt.”