It’s been confirmed by the Scottish Government that a temporary ban on evictions will now be extended until the end of March.
What is the eviction ban?
The eviction ban is a temporary measure introduced by the Scottish Government to prevent enforcement of eviction from rented properties in Scotland during the course of the coronavirus pandemic.
The previous ban was introduced at the end of last year. It was originally slated to run for a six-week period between 11th December 2020 and 22nd January 2021. The Scottish Government this week confirmed that the ban on eviction orders will now be extended until the end of March.
How does the eviction ban protect tenants in Scotland?
The aim of the ban is to provide safe homes to renters throughout the course of the pandemic. The extended ban applies to all evictions in Tier 3 or 4 areas – which represents most of the country – except in cases of extreme anti-social behaviour, including domestic abuse.
The Scottish Government has taken the step to ban evictions in order to protect renters from sudden evictions in the middle of a global pandemic, as well as reducing the burden on already stretched local authorities whose job it would be to house any individual made homeless through eviction.
Why has the eviction ban been extended?
The simple answer to why the ban has been extended is that the pandemic is still with us. When the previous ban was first implemented back in December 2020, it was initially slated to run until the 22nd of this month.
Since then, we have experienced the worst wave since the beginning of the pandemic, as well as a new strain of Coronavirus, with even tighter restrictions being put in place across Scotland as a result.
Now that the whole of mainland Scotland is under a legally enforceable Stay At Home order, any tenant evicted from their home at this time would be put at risk. For that reason, the ban has been extended until the end of March, and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has explicitly stated that, if necessary, it will be extended even further.
Does the eviction ban extension apply to the rest of the UK?
At the minute, the ban on evictions applies to Scotland only. As yet, there has been no confirmation from the UK Government that they will implement a similar ban on evictions – although several outlets well-versed in the private rented sector expect the approach to be rolled out in England before long.
What if I need additional support with rent arrears?
The pandemic has impacted many people’s finances, with tighter restrictions lowering demand across industries and closing many businesses for good.
Many private renters are stretching themselves thin. Even though there are support schemes in place, if you were in rent arrears before the pandemic, you may just be kicking your problem down the road.
As Scotland’s leading debt solutions provider, Carrington Dean specialises in supporting people in rent arrears. For free advice and solutions to help you get your finances back on track, talk to one of our debt experts today on 0808 253 8553.
