Plea for cash support for tenants amid Scottish ‘eviction ban’
Landlords are calling on the Scottish Government to provide direct financial support to tenants struggling to pay the rent to help those who own property to survive the worst of the pandemic.
The Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL) made the demand after a survey of landlords found that 95 per cent of letting agents had lost around £10,000 due to the pandemic, while two-third so fall landlords have lost around £5,000.
Scottish Government intervention into the rental market has been light with a temporary halt to eviction proceedings being lauded by the SNP as a “eviction ban” designed to protect tenants who are unable to keep up with their rent.
The legislation has been criticised by the Scottish Greens, who said the extension of the law until April 2021 meant it would simply delay evictions rather than tackling the route cause of the issue with direct tenant support.
Now the chief executive of SAL, John Black wood, has called on the Government to “put money in the pockets of tenants” to allow them to pay rent and keep landlords afloat.
Mr Blackwood said: “What land lords, tenants and the Scottish Government must focus on is how to sustain tenancies. Landlords should continue to be flexible and understanding, reducing rent and writing off arrears where possible for those affected by the pandemic, and tenants should ensure that their landlord is kept informed about changes to allow for reasonable solutions to be found. But unless the Scottish Government uses the powers of Holyrood to put money in the pockets of tenants so they can pay their rent, we will find ourselves back here in March 2021 only with a greatly amplified problem and even less flexibility.”
Among those landlords badly effected by the pandemic is James Ewen. He has been a professional landlord for 22 years in Edinburgh and supports himself and his parents through his business.
With properties mostly focused on the student market, the C ovid -19 crisis has seen around 90 p er cent of the 41-year- old’s prop er ties sit empt y for the five -month duration of the pandemic.
Housing minister Kevin Stewart said: “We understand the financial pressures people are under due to the economic impact of Covid-19. That is why we have taken action to sup - port both landlords and tenants.
“Through our Landlord Loan Fund we are helping private landlords with interest free loans. For tenants we are extending our protection from eviction for a further six months to the end of March 2021.”