Housing statistics 2016: key trends summary

Local Authority Evictions

There were 1,300 tenancy terminations (evictions and abandonments) in 2015-16, an increase of 7% or 85 on 1,215 in 2014-15. Of the 1,300 tenancy terminations in 2015-16, 95% (1,235) were due to rent arrears - a similar proportion to 2014-15 (94%).

Pre-action requirements to strengthen the protection of tenants facing eviction for rent arrears came into force on 1 ^st August 2012. Pre-action requirements require social landlords to have exhausted all attempts to resolve the arrears with the tenant before taking action to evict. The changes have therefore generally had a much bigger effect on the early stages of an eviction action (notice of proceedings issued) than on the later stages.

Chart 16: Eviction actions against local authority tenants, 2001-02 to 2015-16

As Chart 16 shows there have been large reductions in the number of actions against local authority tenants proceeding to court from 28,301 in 2001-02 to 7,127 in 2013-14, then up to 8,857 in 2014-15 and again in 2015-16 to 8,871. The number of cases resulting in an eviction order has fallen from 10,558 in 2001-02 to 2,728 in 2013-14, but is since up to 3,994 in 2015-16. Local authority tenancy terminations (i.e. evictions plus abandoned dwellings) as a result of eviction actions have also increased in the latest year. There were 1,300 such terminations in 2015-16 which equates to 0.5% of normal letting stock, down from 3,093 (0.6% of normal letting stock) in 2001-02. Within this, the number of evictions of local authority tenants is 859, which equates to 10% of all cases proceeding to court.

The 55% reduction in the number of notices of proceedings issued for rent arrears cases between 2011-12 and 2014-15 (from 51,866 to 23,130) has been followed up by an increase in 2015-16 to 25,552. The number of rent arrears cases taken to court has increased by 24% from 7,042 to 8,761 in the latest year. The number of tenancy terminations for rent arrears (evictions and abandonments) has increased by 8% this year from 1,148 to 1,235. As almost all eviction actions are for rent arrears, similar changes can be observed for the number of eviction actions overall.

Chart 17: Abandoned properties and evictions, as a percentage of normal letting stock, 2015-16

Chart 17 shows that across local authorities there is considerable variation in the rate of evictions or abandoned dwellings in relation to normal letting stock levels. In 2015-16, Aberdeen City had the highest eviction/abandoned dwelling rate at just under 1% of letting stock. Orkney had no evictions in 2015-16.

Link to tables on local authority evictions:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/StockManagement

Section 11 legislation gives local authorities early notice of households at risk of homelessness due to eviction and places a duty on landlords (except local authority landlords) and creditors to notify the relevant local authority when they raise proceedings for possession or serve certain other notices. Statistics on this can be found on the Scottish Government website: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/RefTables