Eviction 'should be last resort'

The Scottish government and social landlords must ensure that eviction is only ever used as a last resort, according to housing charity Shelter.

Shelter Scotland said five children a day face the threat of homelessness due to eviction.

In a report the charity highlighted the impact that eviction can have on the lives of children and families.

The Scottish government said it was already working to develop alternatives to eviction.

The findings of the report showed that approximately 2,000 children were threatened with homelessness as result of eviction in 2007/08 in Scotland, at an estimated cost of £11m.

"We welcome the moves the Scottish Government has made to tackle repossessions and urge similar measures be taken to reduce evictions"

The report also questioned whether it was always proportionate or reasonable to evict a family on grounds of rent arrears or a neighbour dispute, given the distress and upset it could cause.

Director of Shelter Scotland, Graeme Brown, said: "It is vital alternatives to eviction are sought and it needs to be recognised that eviction is not the best way to recover rent.

"One family we worked with were evicted for rent arrears following a mix up with housing benefit.

"This led to the family being homeless for three years and moving four times to different types of temporary accommodation, which was very unsettling and upsetting; particularly for the children.

"We welcome the moves the Scottish government has made to tackle repossessions and urge similar measures be taken to reduce evictions."

Evictions summit

The housing charity wants the Scottish government and social landlords to adopt a five point plan, based around best practice on reducing evictions.

This includes:

• making sure families know about their responsibilities and what to do when things go wrong before the tenancy starts.
• identifying and acting to deal with problems that may lead to rent arrears or eviction, such as unemployment, illness or relationship breakdown.
• ensuring that families are receiving all the benefits and tax credits they are entitled to.
• developing a checklist of all possible alternatives to eviction to be used when legal action against tenants is being considered.

A Scottish government spokesman said ministers had already introduced the Home Owner and Debtor Protection (Scotland) Act to give people greater protection against repossession.

'Misleading picture'

He added: "Every child deserves the chance to fulfil their potential and that means ensuring they have a secure, stable home to grow up in.

"Firstly, we expect social landlords to ensure that all reasonable options have been exhausted before commencing eviction proceedings.

"Secondly, for families who are re-homed, local authorities are following guidance we published earlier this year to ensure children's needs are given priority, ensuring children do not lose touch with friends and relatives or have to change schools.

"We are also working closely with Shelter and a range of organisations to examine the use of evictions, alternatives to eviction and support and protection available to social sector tenants."

The deputy chief executive of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, Andrew Field said: "This latest Shelter report, which points the finger of blame at all social landlords, including housing associations, for evicting too many families, is laudable in its intentions but paints a misleading picture of how widespread the use of evictions actually is by housing associations.

"In 2007-8, there were only 870 evictions for rent arrears by associations - representing just 0.3% of all tenancies.

"Shelter is preaching to the converted on this one. We have made our position very clear on evictions all long.

"They are not socially or economically beneficial to anyone and are used by housing associations only when all else fails.

Scottish Labour's Mary Mulligan said: "Eviction is a traumatic experience for any family, but it is particularly important where children are concerned that it is a genuine last resort."

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