The report, ‘In a Fix,’ reveals that CAB advisers had to issue advice on repairs on 5,600 occasions over a two-year period from 2021-2023. This accounted for 10% of all housing advice given by Scottish CABs in that time.

One third of the people who needed CAB advice on repairs also needed advice on other matters - most often on financial issues like Benefits, Debt, Energy and broadband bills and Charitable Support (e.g. foodbanks).

The research is mostly based on cases from the private and social rented sector but also includes cases of owner occupiers. It highlights a number of serious cases of households being left without heating, hot water or other basic essentials, or living with damp, mould and vermin.

In some cases the poor state of repair caused the tenants to experience physical and mental health problems, or made existing conditions worse. And some
private tenants did not want to report their repair for fear of eviction, or had already been threatened with this for raising it.

Publishing the report, CAS spokesperson Aoife Deery said: “This research shines a light on the state of housing repairs and maintenance in Scotland, and much of it is not a pretty sight.

“We already know that rented sector tenants are often financially vulnerable. To find that they are also having problems getting basic repairs done is a real concern, and even worse is that some of them fear losing their home if they request the repair.

“When you rent a property you sign a tenancy, which includes the rights and responsibilities of the tenants, but also the obligation on landlords to make sure the property meets the repairing standard. This is a legal requirement, not an option they can choose to neglect.

“It’s important to say that most landlords in Scotland do meet their commitments well. It’s in the nature of our service that we only see the cases where things have gone wrong. But the numbers of cases we’re seeing is very worrying. The good landlords are being let down by the bad ones, who are bringing the whole sector into disrepute.”

She added: “Our research exposes a level of failure in the system that is unacceptable. It is simply not right that some of the people who have approached us for advice have had to live in frankly sub-standard accommodation.

“Everyone should have the right to live in a safe home of a good standard. If your landlord is failing to carry out repairs, you can get free, confidential advice from your local CAB or at www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/.”

The ‘In a Fix’ report makes a number of recommendations to address the problem systemically, e.g. that the Scottish government should:

• Work with Councils to develop harsher penalties for landlords who attempt to evict tenants for reporting a repair.
• Look at ways of expanding funding for Councils - and developing insurance options for private landlords - to enable them to deal with repairs.
• Review its current codes of practice for letting agents and factors.