Tenant grant fund update

Tenant grant fund update

On 23 June 2021 the Scottish Government announced the launch a £10 million grant to support private and social rented tenants who had incurred rent arrears as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

More recently local authorities have been authorised to use any remaining funding for tenants adversely impacted by the cost of living crisis.

SAL has obtained data from the Scottish Government which shows that to date 721 grants have been made to tenants in the private rented sector, amounting to an average grant of £1812 per applicant.

Whilst some local authorities have already used up their share of the £10 million funding, most still have funding available for tenants to apply for. The local authorities which have used up funding and are closed to applications as at September 2022 (which is the latest date information is currently available for) are Aberdeenshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, Highland
Midlothian, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Perth & Kinross, Shetland, West Dunbartonshire and West Lothian. Edinburgh Council has advised SAL that their fund will close on 31 March 2023.

See table below for all other authorities who still have funding.

How do you apply to get this grant?

Any tenants who have been financially impacted by the pandemic or the Cost of Living crisis and need help to avoid eviction should contact their local authority housing options or homelessness departments to enquire about the grant. Landlords and letting agents can also initiate an enquiry on behalf of their tenants. There is no application process to use for the grant funding. Instead, local authorities will use their discretion to determine whether a grant payment is appropriate in individual circumstances.

The grant can be used to pay off arrears which have arisen since 23 March 2020 and the money is paid directly to the landlord. Tenants will need to satisfy the local authority that they can afford future rent payments to sustain the tenancy once the grant is used to pay off arrears. Landlords must demonstrate that they are complying with the pre-action requirements for rent arrears and agree not to progress a repossession on the basis of Covid-19/Cost of Living related rent arrears where a grant is paid and the tenant meets all future agreed rent and repayment obligations.

Local authority contacts are below. This is information provided to us by local authorities. Please let us know if you find any of the contacts are now out of date.