Soaring figures for evictions lead to warning

COUNCILS and housing associations are forcing thousands of vulnerable Scots to become homeless, a charity has warned.

Shelter Scotland says a 24 per cent rise in evictions in the last year shows tenants are struggling with arrears, but claimed eviction was the wrong way to tackle the problem.

The housing and homelessness charity said the figures for evictions by social landlords were “extremely disappointing” and reversed a trend towards reducing evictions in the four previous years.

The charity said 2,130 evictions had been carried out, and claimed councils and housing associations were breaching their statutory responsibilities to prevent homelessness and safeguard the welfare of children.

It also said far more notices of proceedings were being sent to tenants – 37,559 – suggesting the threat of eviction is widely used to scare tenants into paying up. But this means vulnerable people may be put through the trauma of legal action and the threat of losing their home unnecessarily, the charity says.

Alison Watson, deputy director of Shelter Scotland, said: “These figures should raise alarm bells about the way local authorities may be treating some of their most vulnerable and struggling tenants.

“A fundamental shift is needed in how rent arrears are managed.

“Tenants must always prioritise and take responsibility for paying their rent, but eviction is a very crude and inefficient way of dealing with rent arrears of tenants who often struggle with complex social and financial issues.”