NEARLY a third of private tenants in Scotland struggle to pay their rent each month, according to a new study. 

Charitable trust SafeDeposits Scotland has created a representative sample of 1,000 private-sector tenants around the country.

It found that 24 per cent had difficulty paying their monthly rent, while 8 per cent found it “very difficult” and 49 per cent had cut back on household necessities to line private landlords’s pockets.

SafeDeposits Scotland’s Jennifer Harris said: “Affordable homes to rent should be a cornerstone of the sector across Scotland.

“However, our research shows the struggles many tenants continue to face in paying their rent each month.

“Improving affordability will require a comprehensive strategy for the sector.

“This is especially important for all those tenants who face the prospect of their housing benefit rates being frozen.”

Concerns have been heightened in recent days as temporary controls on rent increases lapsed, despite the permanent limits of 1 per cent above inflation — capped at 6 per cent — promised in the new Housing (Scotland) Bill still two years away.

A Scottish government spokesman said: “From April 1, protections continue to be in place against rent increases above market rent for most private tenants and we would encourage tenants to make use of their right to a review.”

Tenants’ union Living Rent’s Ruth Gilbert told the Star: “It is beyond belief that ministers still pretend ‘market rates’ reflect what people can actually pay.

“How can they ignore the fact that families are skipping meals, sacrificing heating or falling into debt — all while rents keep climbing? 

“This isn’t just negligence — it’s abandonment.

“Ministers need to stop siding with landlords and realise that the cost isn’t just financial — it’s human. And tenants won’t forget it.”