Eviction rates tumble

Mar 11 2010 by Andy Newport, Paisley Daily Express

THE number of people kicked out of their homes after failing to cough up their rent has been slashed.

New figures just revealed by Renfrewshire Council also show that the number of enforceable evictions has fallen by 61 per cent between April 2009 and December 2009 compared to the same period last year.

This reflects the substantial reduction in the number of cases progressing to court – which fell from 2,172 in 2008 to 1,030 in 2009.

This reduction comes after the local authority says it splashed out cash to help Buddies stay in their homes.

And they also revealed not every case that reaches court results in an eviction decree and not all eviction decrees result in actual evictions as the majority of tenants leave their property of their own accord before an eviction decree can be served.

Paisley North West councillor Kenny MacLaren has welcomed the news.

The SNP man said: “The policy of helping sustain tenancies and preventing homelessness is making significant progress in reducing evictions.”