Edinburgh students forced to find new home after rent hiked by over £600
| Author | Jacob Farr |
| Published date | 30 June 2022 |
| Publication title | EdinburghLive (Scotland) |
Those caught up in the rental sector in Scotland's two main cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow, are saying that they are struggling to keep up with the soaring rates amidst a cost of living crisis.
This has led to a number of them, along with tenancy union Living Rent, to call on the Scottish Government to act and introduce rent caps to make life more affordable for tenants, the Daily Record reports.
Thea Tallack, 21, who rented a property in Newington with her three friends, says that their rent was increased by Braemore from £1,760 to £2,400.
This has meant that the tenants will be forced to stump up an extra £640 a month between them.
Thea, who is originally from Winchester, says that the move was made by Braemore in the midst of May exam season and says that this meant they had to search for a new property whilst also dealing with the stress of assessment.
She said: "It's an incredible amount, who can afford to pay a 36 per cent increase on their rent? As students, we just couldn't meet that demand. With inflation and increasing rent prices, we weren't left with many options. We had to move out.
"Our bills doubled at the time and that was already stressful to think about.
"We've had no security - looking for new flats in itself has been so tricky, tiring and time-consuming. On top of that, though, we're worried in case the rent in our new flats increases.
"The insecurity and uncertainty of what is going to happen has been really tough to deal with."
She added that the property had not had any noticeable maintenance or upgrades applied to it since they moved in during April of last year.
She continued: "It was a nice flat but there were a lot of issues that needed dealing with.
"They know we have no other option and that they can do it and get away with it, so they put the rents up."
And the problem is not unique to the capital, with Matthew Peacock, 25, saying that he too was left with no choice but to leave his flat in Glasgow after a hefty increase in his rent.
Originally from Leeds, student Matthew moved out of his two-bed flat in Dennistoun Glasgow when his landlord upped the rent by 35 per cent in May.
He claims that the rise from £660 to £895 per month is "basically a soft eviction."
On this, he said: "I'm in the process of moving out because I have no other choice.
"The flat is...
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