A Greens councillor has called for a nationwide system of rent controls to help solve a growing housing crisis in parts of Scotland.
Leòdhas Massie, 27, fears he will not be able to afford to live in the Glasgow constituency he was elected to represent at council elections in May.
He told the Record that he has moved five times in the last year as he struggled to find a suitable flat in the Newlands/Auldburn ward, which forms part of the popular southside of the city.
Massie welcomed Scottish Government plans to freeze rents until March next year - but warned it would not help the many Scots like him who are still trying to find a long-term place to live.
"Many parts of the southside are just not viable for me in terms of renting," he said. "I could afford to be a lodger - but even that can be £500-£600.
"I have had good relationships with all the people I have lived with. But I am grown man with a job to do and I need somewhere with long-term security."
Massie is currently looking for another home after a short-term rental in Shawlands came to an end.
Private rents in Glasgow have shot up to £1000 a month on average in the last year while they now stand at £1,200 in Edinburgh.
Around 700,000 Scots rent privately, with a further one million living in homes owned by councils or housing associations.
Experts have warned there are not enough flats to meet demand with many landlords having sold up and tenants are staying in a property for longer.
Nicola Sturgeon earlier this month announced a rent freeze for public and private properties and a ban on winter evictions.
The move to protect tenants in private and socially rented homes comes only a few months after a similar proposal by Scottish Labour.
"The rent freeze alone isn't the solution," Massie said.
"My understanding is they have been brought in to alleviate pressure on tenants while the government finds out a way to implement legally viable rent controls.
"I think the rent freeze will do a lot of good - and it will help to get proper rent controls in place.
"Housing is a basic human right, which most counties around the world acknowledge.
"I think it's totally immoral that we have this system governed by private individuals who have bought up properties.
"They can dictate to the rest of us what we will be paying for the price of a roof over our heads."
Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie is leading Scottish Government efforts to implement rent controls but the plans are not expected to be published until 2024.
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