Fife Council is owed more in unpaid rent than any other local authority in Scotland.
Figures released by the Scottish Government reveal that as of March last year Scotland’s 32 local authorities were owed £36.5 million with £4.2 million of that due to Fife alone.
In Angus rent arrears now stand at £1.3m while Dundee City Council still has £1.4m outstanding. Arrears in Perth and Kinross total £1.1m.
The Local Authority Housing Income and Expenditure report also showed that councils across Scotland expect to lose over £17 million in unlet homes this year, despite there being big demand for social housing in many parts of the country.
Fife Council’s Gavin Smith said: ”We recognise lower quartile performance but have a clear strategy in place to improve performance.
”We believe current performance compares well with other social landlords. The need to tackle legacy debt is a key priority.”
Scottish Conservative housing spokesman Alex Johnstone MSP said: ”The problem is if there are millions of pounds not being paid in rent, those who do pay will endure rises.”
