Orbit Communications is working with Scotland’s largest landlord membership organisation to build awareness in the media and with politicians that despite almost half of landlords offering discounts to tenants affected by Covid-19, arrears are continuing to rise and could reach unsustainable levels unless government takes action to help tenants pay their rent.
We worked with the Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL) to publish details of a survey of its members which found that in the past four months, 95% of letting agents had lost an average of almost £10,000 due to the pandemic, whilst 66% of landlords had lost an average of almost £5000 each.
The same survey found that 44% of SAL members provided discounts to tenants, with the most common reduction given being 20% off the monthly rent.
SAL is calling on the Scottish Government to use Holyrood’s existing powers to create new social security benefits and change the eligibility criteria for Discretionary Housing Benefit. This would allow more people to gain assistance with paying their rent, keeping them in a home, reducing pressure on social services and ensuring they can more easily contribute to the economy.
Other Key findings from the survey of SAL’s almost 5000 members include:
- 66% of landlords have reported losing income, with an average of almost £5000 each
- 44% of landlord and agent respondents have provided a discount for tenants
- The most common reduction percentage given by those reducing rents was 20%
- 96% of agents responding have had rental properties void as a result of the pandemic