Scottish government publishes joint statements from landlords reaffirming their commitment to supporting tenants facing difficulties during the pandemic

Statements underline the sector's commitment to only taking eviction action as a last resort, when all other avenues have been exhausted and a tenancy is no longer sustainable, says Social Justice Secretary

The Scottish government has published joint statements from social and private landlords reaffirming their commitment to supporting tenants facing difficulties during the pandemic.

Signed by representative bodies - COSLA, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, and the Scottish Association of Landlords - the Scottish government says that the statements -

'... underline the sector’s commitment to only taking eviction action as a last resort, when all other avenues have been exhausted and a tenancy is no longer sustainable.'

Announcing the publication of the joint statements, Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said -

'Paying rent is an important tenant responsibility, and tenants in financial hardship should engage directly with their landlord. When landlords are flexible with their tenants, signposting them to the range of financial support that is available and coming to agreements to prevent and manage rent arrears, this sustains tenancies and keeps people in their homes, benefitting everyone. These actions are crucial to move towards a sustainable and fair recovery from the impact of Covid-19.'

The shared statements are available from the Scottish Government website -

• Shared Statement: Social landlords working together with tenants to avoid evictions
• Shared Statement: Private landlords and letting agents working together with tenants to avoid evictions

For more, see Protecting tenants during pandemic from gov.scot