Pic credit: Ian Georgeson

New Scottish Government data shows that monthly private rents for three or four-bedroom homes have increased by nearly 50 per cent since 2010 in the Lothian region.

And one and two-bedroom properties are up by around 40 per cent over the same time period.

Rental costs for a two bedroom home in the region increased by 6.5 per cent from 2017 – by far the steepest increase anywhere in Scotland, and now close to an average of £1,000 a month.

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The cost of renting a four bedroom house in the Lothians soared by almost a fifth between 2017 and 2018 in a trend that Scottish Labour MSP for Edinburgh and the Lothians Kezia Dugdale said needs urgently addressed.

“Private rent prices in Edinburgh are spiralling out of control,” Ms Dugdale said. “It is simply not sustainable for rents to soar by nearly 50 per cent since 2010, with some huge increases last year alone.

“Across Scotland, almost half of all people made homeless last year due to rent arrears fell into debt with a private landlord.

“It’s clear that we have a housing crisis in the city, exacerbated by the rise in short-term lets on sites such as Airbnb, which is attractive to landlords and restricts housing options for residents.

“This must be urgently addressed and the only way to do that is to build more homes for social-rent. The Scottish Government must stop the cuts to Edinburgh City Council to allow the administration to tackle this crisis.”