Private rentals for two-bedroom homes rise by almost a quarter in the past 9 years
Private rentals for two-bedroom homes have risen by almost a quarter in the past nine years, according to new figures published by the Scottish Government.
In the Lothian region, prices have jumped 46.3 per cent from an average of £655 to £972 a month.
Across Scotland, the average now stands at £668, an increase of 24.6 per cent on 2010.
The report looked at the cost of two-bedroom homes "because these are the most prevalent size of property in the private-rented sector".
It found the average amount paid by private renters for a two-bedroom property in Scotland rose by 2.4 per cent between 2018 and 2019 - with prices in the Greater Glasgow area up by 5.3 per cent.
• READ MORE: Is renting the new buying? Statistics showing a buck in the trendOver the nine-year period, the average cost in Greater Glasgow has increased by 38.3 per cent.
Fife and Forth Valley have also experienced rises of more than a fifth since 2010, at 22.1 per cent to £567 and 21 per cent to £596 respectively.
At the other end of the scale, the increase in the cost of the average two-bedroom private rental property from 2010 to 2019 in Ayrshire was 1.5 per cent to £471 and 1.4 per cent in Aberdeen city and shire to £652 a month.
Graeme Brown, director of housing charity Shelter Scotland, described rental costs in the Lothian area as "eye-watering".
He said: "The cost of keeping a roof over your head continues to rise in most parts of Scotland with the average rent on a typical two-bed property in Lothian region now an eye-watering £972 a month.
• READ MORE: Scotland best place in UK for fast rental return for landlords"This is putting pressure on household budgets and far too many people are living a precarious existence just making ends meet with the prospect of homelessness looming over them."
He called for more homes to be built for rent by councils and housing associations, saying: "The answer to this is to keep expanding social housing in Scotland. "
While he said the first increase in the level of social housing since 1980 had recently been recorded - as a result of more homes being built and an ending of right-to-buy legislation in Scotland - he added: "Worryingly we face a cliff-edge where this will stop in 2021 if we don't get an urgent commitment from Scottish Government that we will keep building."