CAS respond to the Scottish Governments second consultation on a new tenancy for the private rented sector.
In 2013/14, Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) in Scotland advised clients on 10,991 new issues directly related to private rented housing. This represented almost a third of new issues regarding housing. This has increased on the previous year (2012/2013) where 7,316 new private renting issues represented 25% of housing work. In addition there were 1,608 issues regarding the arrears of rent on private rented properties in 2013/2014. Overall issues with private tenancies was the fifth biggest consumer issue the service provided advice on ahead of other large workload areas such as mortgages or rights on goods and services. Our response is shaped by evidence from citizens advice bureaux in Scotland on the many and varied issues related to housing that CAB clients seek advice on.