Following up on a June 2021 commitment, the Scottish Government has put £10m into a grant fund designed to support private and social rented tenants who have fallen into rent arrears during the Coronavirus Crisis and are at risk of eviction.

Working with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the fund will distribute one-off allocations to each council to be used to support tenants. There will be no application process. Instead, local authorities will use their discretion to determine whether a grant payment is appropriate in individual circumstances.

The grants are on top of the Scottish Government’s £10m Tenant Hardship Loan Fund, and is part of a package of measures available to local authorities to prevent homelessness. The new grant funding will be available until the end of March 2022.

‘We have been doing all we can to support tenants who are struggling as a result of the pandemic, and this latest funding takes our total housing support to almost £39m’, said Scottish Housing Secretary Shona Robison

‘These grants will support tenants and landlords who are willing to work together to address rent arrears and agree a repayment plan to ensure the tenant is able to avoid eviction.

‘Councils have substantial experience in supporting people who have fallen behind on their rent, and are therefore well placed to work with both tenants and landlords in making use of this grant fund. Anyone who has been financially impacted by the pandemic and needs help to avoid eviction should contact their local authority housing department to discuss their circumstances’.