A Glasgow man has been forced to move out of his flat due to soaring rent rates.
Matthew Peacock was forced to move from his two-bedroom flat in Dennistoun, Glasgow after his landlord increased his rent by 35 per cent from £660 to £895 per month back in May.
It comes amidst the cost of living crisis hitting the country, with thousands struggling to pay their bills and afford everyday essentials.
25-year-old Matthew told the Daily Record: "I'm in the process of moving out because I have no other choice.
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"The flat is unaffordable for us now and there are no controls to stop it - there never have been any controls.
"It's basically a soft eviction, there is no way I can find an extra £235 a month. I don't know anybody that can right now with food and bill costs.
"I have enjoyed living here and I didn't want to move. It isn't just happening to me, it is happening to so many other people. Our community is being dismantled."
Matthew, a student who is originally from Leeds, said no maintenance work has been done on the property by letting agents Sandstone, and described the increase in rent as "pure greed".
He continued: "It's unaffordable for what it is. It just isn't worth staying here for the price anymore.
"There has been no real maintenance to it since we moved in. The kitchen and bathroom obviously haven't been done up in years and the painting on the walls isn't even finished - you can see the plaster underneath it.
"We still don't really understand why the rent is going up, it's pure greed.
"I feel like I've got no control over my direction. I'm angry and hopeless because I need to move now and I'm wondering if I will ever be able to settle without the threat of my rent rocketing again.
"I'm a bit lost. It has made me really think that rent controls are the only solution."
Living Rent has called on the Scottish Government to introduce emergency protections for tenants - saying the measure is needed more than ever before amid the cost of living crisis.
Data from the Scottish Government published in November revealed that between 2011 and 2021, rents increased by 41.4% in Greater Glasgow and 41.7% in the Lothians. In the same time period, inflation increased by 24.3%.
Megan Bishop, Secretary of Living Rent says that: “Landlords are increasing our rents during a cost of living crisis and despite our wages falling in real terms. Landlords being able to act with impunity and without a second thought to their actions plunging thousands of tenants into poverty needs to stop.
"Our housing remains unaffordable and increasingly unliveable. With over half (57%) of properties failing repair standards and nearly two-thirds (60%) having an energy efficiency rating of D or lower, it is time that the Scottish Government regulated landlords and put tenants’ need for a home first.
"Though the Scottish Government has committed to introducing rent controls by 2025, this is too far away when landlords are raising rents now. We need emergency measures to protect tenants until rent controls are brought in to bring rents down.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We fully recognise the impact of the cost of living crisis on tenants and are working at pace to help people who need it, with £83 million in housing support available this year.
“However, the ‘quick-fix’ rent freeze proposed through this amendment is unworkable and would have a high risk of being struck down by the courts.
"Bringing in an effective law to tackle rising rents means gathering detailed evidence and assembling views, rather than bringing in an amendment that hasn’t been consulted on and with little time for scrutiny.
"We are already taking forward priority work to introduce rent controls during this Parliament, but are doing so in a robust way that will give long-lasting benefits to tenants.
“We are also working to increase choices for people who rent. Since 2007, we have delivered 111,750 affordable homes, with more than 78,000 for social rent. In the four years to 2021 we delivered over nine times more social rented homes per head of population than England, and our per-capita spending on affordable housing is over three times higher than the UK Government’s.
"We have now started to deliver against our commitment to a further 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, with at least 70% for social rent.”
The Record approached Sandstone for comment.
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