A Dennistoun tenant has hit out over landlord "greed" after being told her rent is being put up by nearly a quarter over text message.
Jennifer Robertson, 32, received a message via Whatsapp on Sunday warning of the pay increase to be implemented in June – less than the legally required three months' notice.
The east end studio owner explained the rent was increased when she first moved in to the flat in March 2020.
She and her flatmate have been paying £610 a month and it's now set to rise to £750.
The landlord justified the rise by saying he kept it low over lockdown and the market rental value has increased in the area.
"We were having quite a relaxing Sunday afternoon until we got that text. It was a slap in the face," Jennifer said.
"We have been good, clean, and tidy tenants. We paid our rent all the way through the pandemic. Both of us work in the arts so it was a struggle.
"In the original lease, one part stated that the landlord is allowed to put the rent up by 20 percent annually. It was taken out and we were promised he would never put it up that high and now he has.
"The only reason he gave is that the current market rent in Dennistoun has become more expensive and that he kept the rent 'low' over the pandemic."
Jennifer and her flatmate have been seeking advice but are growing concerned that there is not much in place to protect them.
She said she may have to consider moving back to her parents' in Argyllshire or with her partner in Greenock.
She added: "I'm lucky to have options but I'll be moving away from my work, away from the community I have been living in since 2015.
"It's so frustrating, especially with the cost of living rising as it is. We're by no means the worst-hit but we're having to cut back on everything. I also plan to sell my car."
Around 340,000 households rent privately in Scotland – making up around 15 per cent of the country's homes.
Average rents for two-bedroom properties have also increased above inflation in ten out of 18 areas in Scotland compared with 2020, according to official figures from the Scottish Government last year.
Over the longer term, average rents in Greater Glasgow increased above the rate of inflation between 2010 and 2021 across all property sizes.
One study from Rightmove found the cost of renting in Glasgow has increased by 10 per cent since the coronavirus pandemic began alone.
Living Rent have reported cases of members' rent being hiked by "between 30 and 50 percent" in the city and have called on the government to bring in rent controls to protect tenants.
A spokesman for the union said: "In neighbourhoods across Glasgow and Scotland, private landlords have been hiking rent by between 30% and 50%. Social landlords have been increasing rent from 1.5%-5% year on year. In the middle of a cost of living crisis, rent is generally a household's biggest expenditure.
"It's plain and simple, people are being pushed out of their communities due to the greed of landlords. When asked why they are putting the rent up, landlords generally respond by saying that they need to keep up with the market.
"Tenants' incomes are not rising in line with rent. That means that landlords who raise rent are content with pushing local people who cannot afford to stay out of their communities. The Government is allowing this to happen by failing to regulate rents. Real, effective rent controls that keep people in their homes and their communities are needed urgently."
Shelter Scotland Director, Alison Watson, said: "We know that nearly half of people in Scotland have struggled with their housing costs at some point. In the face of an unprecedented cost of living crisis that situation is only likely to get worse, with more and more people being exposed to the risk of homelessness.
“The only way out of the housing emergency is to build more good quality, genuinely affordable, social homes. In Glasgow the council’s own figures show that 3,675 social homes are needed over the next five years. This is why Shelter Scotland is imploring city leaders to commit to delivering those homes we so desperately need as a matter of urgency.
“The cost of living crisis can’t be allowed to strip people of their homes. We need our politicians to build a future where nobody is deprived of their right to a safe, secure, permanent home. For that vision to be achieved, more social housing is needed as a matter of urgency.”
The Scottish Government's consultation on A New Deal For Tenants opened in December and tenants are encouraged to give their views before it closes this Friday, April 15.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We know that many tenants are struggling financially. Our consultation on A New Deal for Tenants – which closes on Friday – sets out our commitment to introduce new rent controls for private tenants – more than any government in the UK has done for more than three decades.
“The New Deal for Tenants specifically outlines our intention to change the law to only allow rent adjudications to either be decreased or maintained. There are also strict legal processes in place regarding how a landlord can increase rent, including how they notify the tenant of that. Any failure to follow those processes should be challenged.
“The consultation also proposes a wider range of reforms, including better protection against eviction, as well as more rights to personalise tenants’ homes and higher quality standards, and we are determined to produce rent controls which provide a lasting benefit to tenants.”
