One in three tenants struggle to afford rent, charity warns

Almost one in three private tenants in Scotland are struggling to afford their rent and are “making difficult trade-offs” with essential household items, a housing charity has said.

Figures from the SafeDeposits Scotland Charitable Trust show 29% of tenants surveyed have struggled to pay their monthly rent over the past year.

That was an improvement from 32% in 2024, however for 2025 only 35% of tenants said it was easy to afford their rent.

Jennifer Harris, head of policy at the trust, said the statistics show a “structural challenge” for Scotland.

“This research shows that affordability pressures in Scotland’s private rented sector remain real and persistent,” she said.

“While there has been a slight improvement compared to last year, nearly one in three tenants struggling to pay their rent is not a marginal issue, it is a structural challenge for Scotland’s housing system.”

The report highlights many tenants face a choice between buying household essentials or paying their rent.

It found 47% of renters regularly cut back on food, heating and clothing in order to pay their rent, whilst 34% find it difficult to afford their energy bills.

The survey also highlights the difficulties tenants endure when accessing housing, with 73% saying they faced significant challenges when searching for a property.

Of all tenants surveyed, 40% said finding an affordable property was the single biggest barrier when looking for somewhere to rent.

Fifty-nine per cent said they did not experience a rent increase in the past 12 months.

However, four in 10 tenants did – rising to almost half in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Most tenants (76%) report feeling secure and satisfied (71%) in their homes, while the proportion feeling dissatisfied has fallen slightly from 12% in 2024 to 10%.

Dr Harris said the “challenge” for the next Scottish Parliament will be to strengthen affordability and access without undermining stability in the sector.

She said: “Many renters are making difficult trade-offs, cutting back on essentials simply to keep a roof over their heads. But the answer to improving affordability is not simple or one-dimensional. It requires a balanced and evidence-led approach.

“That means looking carefully at levels of housing supply, considering what more can be done to support tenant incomes, and addressing the wider economic and cost pressures that are driving rent increases in the first place. Focusing on any single lever in isolation risks overlooking the complexity of the sector.

“At the same time, it is important to recognise that most tenants feel secure and satisfied in their homes. The challenge for policymakers, particularly as parties set out their priorities for the next Scottish Parliament, is how to strengthen affordability and access without undermining stability in the sector.”

Housing Secretary Mairi McAllan said: “This government has taken extensive action to protect tenants in Scotland, including recently introducing a national system of long-term, evidence-based rent controls, designed to help stabilise rents in areas where market rents have been increasing particularly steeply.

“It is the UK Government’s decision to continue to freeze Local Housing Allowance rates in 2026-27 that is driving rent arrears and is deeply disappointing. Rates must be unfrozen to ensure they cover the bottom 30% of rents in a given area as an absolute minimum.

“A robust supply of homes is also fundamental to improving housing availability and affordability across Scotland. We have a strong track record having helped deliver 141,000 affordable homes since 2007. Per head of population, that’s 45% more than England and 69% more than Wales and our new housebuilding agency More Homes Scotland will ensure major housebuilding delivery in the coming years.”