SCOTLAND’S temporary ban on evictions during the pandemic is set to continue until the end of March, the Scottish Government has announced. 

Currently, the legislation protecting renters from being turfed out of their homes is due to come to an end on January 22, but next week MSPs will be asked to approve regulations pushing that back until March 31. 

The extended ban will apply to all evictions in areas subject to level 3 or 4 restrictions, except cases of serious anti-social behaviour, including domestic abuse. 

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Speaking at the daily coronavirus briefing, the First Minister said the ban could, if necessary, be extended again. 

She said: “It’s become even more important to stop people from needing to find a new home or perhaps from having to move in with a different household.

“For that reason the regulations to prevent the enforcement of eviction notices will be extended until March 31 in all Level 3 and Level 4 areas, which of course right now is the entirety of Scotland.

“And if necessary the regulations can be extended further after that date.”

Housing Minister Kevin Stewart said the regulation would “also prevent additional burdens being placed on health and housing services during a time where they are already working hard due to the impact of the pandemic.”

He said: “This is a proportionate response to an extremely challenging set of circumstances.”

Stewart added: “We have been clear that no landlord should evict a tenant because they have suffered financial hardship due to the pandemic. Tenants in difficulty should engage with their landlord and seek advice on the options open to them.”

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The Scottish Greens, who have long campaigned on evictions, welcomed the proposal. 

MSP Ross Greer said the ban should become permanent. “The winter eviction ban, introduced following pressure from tenants’ groups such as Living Rent and discussions between the Scottish Government and Green MSPs, gave protection and peace of mind to those at risk of homelessness this winter. 

“We certainly welcome the government's response to our call for the ban to be extended in light of the lockdown and this third wave of the virus. It would have been grossly unjust and downright dangerous to have people losing their homes during a lockdown, so I’m grateful the minister has ensured that won’t be the case.

“Scotland is decades behind many of our European neighbours when it comes to tenants’ rights. Protections like a winter eviction bans are commonplace across the continent. Chucking people out of their homes in the cold of winter should be unacceptable whether there's a pandemic raging on or not. So, while we warmly welcome the extension of the emergency ban, the Greens want to see the Housing Minister to go further, ensuring winter evictions are permanently banned.” 

Nina Ballantyne from Citizens Advice Scotland said: “We're glad to see the Scottish Government respond to the concerns we've repeatedly raised through the Private Rented Sector Resilience group about how vulnerable tenants are in this pandemic.

“Stopping evictions and preventing homelessness during this renewed crisis period is absolutely the right thing to do. It's the right thing to keep tenants safe, but also the right thing for public health too.

“The experience of the Citizens Advice network in Scotland clearly shows that tenants struggling with rent need time to access advice and support. This extra time will give more people the opportunity to seek advice, access financial support and agree repayment plans or rent reductions to address arrears.

“However, many tenants including students, people with no recourse to public funds and others who are not eligible for Universal Credit, Housing Benefit or Discretionary Housing Payments, still cannot access grant support to help them pay rent. We hope to continue working with Scottish Government on further options for these groups so no group of tenants is left.”