The Scottish Government civil justice court statistics revealed that the number of eviction orders in the social housing (local authority and registered social landlords) and private sectors increased by 1,107 (18 per cent) to reach 7,180.

Eviction cases involve the taking of property by the owner from an occupier, usually a tenant, that has accrued rent arrears or where the tenancy agreement has been breached.

Landlords can apply for an eviction if they want their tenants removed from the property. Reasons for doing so can include rent arrears, breach of tenancy agreements or when the tenancy comes to an end and the occupier refuses to vacate the property. Most eviction cases relate to rent arrears, rather than for breaches of some other aspect of the tenancy agreement.

Initiating action for eviction for rent arrears can only happen after landlords have followed a set of pre-action requirements.

There were 13,750 eviction cases initiated in 2014-15 related to tenants of properties in the social housing and private sectors. This was a rise of 18 per cent compared to 2013-14 but 31 per cent lower than 2008-09. Around two thirds of eviction cases initiated relate to local authority tenants.

Over half of eviction cases were found “for pursuer”, while 92 per cent of cases were undefended.

Commenting on the statistics, Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland, said: “It is very concerning that there was an 18 percent increase in evictions last year– up by 1,107 to 7,180.

“Eviction should only ever be used as a last resort after all options have been tried.

“Anyone who finds themselves struggling to keep a roof over their head and facing eviction should seek help sooner rather than later. People can contact Shelter Scotland via our free national helpline – 0808 8004444 or go online to shelterscotland.org to get advice.”