Soaring rents prove value of emergency protection for tenants
The continuing rise in private rents underlines the need for emergency protection for tenants, introduced last month, say the Scottish Greens.
New figures out today show the average cost of two bed private rented accommodation in Scotland rose from £693 per month last September (2021) to £736 a month by this September (2022).
Over the longer term, since 2010 that means rents have risen by 33% with Glasgow and Lothian seeing even higher rises of 52% in both cases.
According to the Scottish Greens, that shows the necessity of the emergency legislation on a rent freeze and eviction ban introduced by Green minister and co-leader Patrick Harvie on 28 October.
Following the release of today’s latest figures on private rents, Scottish Greens’ MSP Ariane Burgess said:“Today’s figures cover the period before the emergency legislation kicked in but underline why it was right for Scotland to lead the way across the UK.
"The new laws mean that the vast majority of tenants will see no rise in their rents until at least 31 March next year.
“Swift and decisive action with Scottish Greens as part of government is part of our determination to make housing more affordable, including longer term rent controls.
“Over this winter such action will save lives.”