Resource offers essential information to private renting tenants

A new online hub has been launched to help renters in Scotland’s private rented sector navigate their rights and responsibilities.

Launched by Shelter Scotland, the Private Renting in Scotland resource comes after a rise in the number of calls to the charity’s helpline from tenants renting from private landlords.

In the last year (Feb 15-Feb 16) 5,343 calls were received by the charity’s helpline from households renting privately – 42% of the total number of calls.

During the same period in 2014-15 Shelter Scotland received 5,119 calls from private renters.

The charity says it is worried by the disproportionate number of calls from private renters, considering the sector represents only 14% of all housing in Scotland.

In the last year, 18% of all homelessness applications to Scotland’s 32 local authorities were from households who rent privately.

According to Shelter Scotland, 330,000 households currently rent from a private landlord in Scotland – around 85,000 of which contain children.

The charity says it has launched the Private Renting in Scotland online resource because it wants to ensure that tenants have the most up to date and accurate information available to them should they face problems in their tenancies.

Shelter Scotland’s Private Renting Hub can be accessed via www.shelterscotland.org/renting-privately