PRIVATE housing rental prices in Scotland have seen their joint highest annual increase since records began in 2012, new figures from the Office of National Statistics have revealed.

Between the period of February 2021 to 2022, private housing rental prices have grown by 2.6% in Scotland – higher than in England and Wales, which over the same period saw respective rises of 2.1% and 1.4%.

Meanwhile, housing prices have increased by 10.8% in Scotland over the year to January 2022. This comes in the wake of the cost of living crisis which has seen inflation in the UK rise to its highest level in 30 years, with more than 80% of Scots reporting they are worried as food, fuel and household bills are set to skyrocket over the next six months.

The recently announced Spring Statement was widely panned by charities, civic organisations and economists as offering little support to alleviate the harms by those facing the brunt of the crisis.

Shelter Scotland director, Alison Watson, said: “Scotland is in the midst of a housing emergency and the situation is increasingly bleak for many.

“The only solution is to build more social housing which will provide the secure, genuinely affordable, homes that people across the country so desperately need.

“With housing costs rising, more and more people will be exposed to the risk of homelessness and only social housing can stem the tide.

“We recognise that building the number of social homes we need is an enormous challenge, but it’s one the Scottish Government and local authorities across the country must step up to and meet head-on.

“The alternative will lead to many more communities suffering from the consequences of homelessness”.

Meg Bishop, the national secretary of Living Rent, said:

"With rent continuing to skyrocket despite poor quality housing and stagnant or even declining wages in real teams, it is clear that our housing system is geared towards landlords, leaving many tenants without support and in a dire financial state. 

"The rent increases are shocking as an average figure and they hide the personal stories and insane stress that it pushes tenants into.

"Housing is fundamental to fixing the poverty crisis across Scotland. All the evidence points to the hardship that tenants are facing in a time when high inflation and fuel costs are already pushing the cost of living beyond the reach of many people.

"This is why we’re asking for affordable, quality, secure homes built on a system of rent controls, and a society where tenants have a say and control over their homes.

"The government needs to implement rent controls now, tenants just cannot afford to wait".