Evictions of Scots with rent arrears has shot up by more than 500 per cent since a lockdown ban was lifted three months ago.
The restriction was imposed at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic to protect tenants who had fallen behind with their payments after losing their jobs or being furloughed.
But the 13-month order was lifted when the majority of Scotland moved to Level 2 in May.
Since then there has been a flurry of evictions by social housing landlords to eject cash strapped tenants.
Figures released by the Scottish Housing Regulator show that 38 properties were seized between April to June after eviction orders were granted by the courts.
That compares to six evictions in the first three months of this year while the ban was still in place – a rise of 533 per cent.
Court actions initiated by social housing landlords to expel tenants increased from 196 to 299 in the same period – an increase of 53 per cent.
The figures do not include evictions sought or obtained by private landlords.
Last night Scottish Labour’s housing spokesman Mark Griffin said: “These are the first signs of the looming crisis we all feared would follow the end of the evictions ban.
“The total lack of long-term planning from the Government has created a ticking time-bomb of evictions, which saw rates spiral instantly in the weeks after the ban was lifted.
“The SNP’s decision to abandon the evictions ban with minimal preparation is unimaginably reckless – and it is those who are already struggling that will pay the price.
“A spike in homelessness as a result of the pandemic would be a national scandal. We urgently need to support tenants in rent arrears now in order to avoid a tidal wave of evictions.”
Last month we revealed how councils and housing associations were secretly planning legal action which could eventually lead 7000 of their tenants, including families, being thrown out on to the street.
Tenants who had fallen behind with their rent were issued “notices of proceeding” between June 2020 and March this year –despite the ban.
The legal notices must be issued before court action can be started to remove tenants who can’t pay their rent.
Alison Watson, director of Shelter Scotland yesterday called on the eviction restrictions to be reinstated.
She said: “The emergency protections brought in to keep people in their homes during the pandemic have made a huge difference, lowering the number of new people experiencing homelessness at a critical time.
“Scotland was in the grip of a housing emergency before the pandemic. We had hundreds of people sleeping on our streets every night.
“No one wants to go back there. The first step we can do, to stop that, is keep people in their homes. That’s why we’ve been calling
or the temporary ban on the enforcement of evictions to be brought back in.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “We’re doing all we can to support tenants who are struggling as a result of the pandemic, including a £10million fund to help those who have fallen into arrears.
“Only a very small proportion of notices of proceedings result in evictions, and a social landlord will make every effort to engage with a tenant on arrears and offer practical support.
“We’ve been clear from the outset of the pandemic that eviction action must be an
absolute last step. We would encourage all tenants who are financially struggling to seek advice on their individual circumstances.”
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