FOI Request - Complaints about Private Rental Properties

Request 101003541069

1. The total number of complaints you have received from private renters in each of the last six financial years (i.e. 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2023/24 until the most recent available date).

2. The number of complaints you have received from private renters in each of the last six financial years (i.e. 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2023/24 until the most recent available date) for each of the following reasons:

•  Repairs (e.g. that haven't been actioned, haven't been completed or haven't been completed to a good standard)
•  Illegal eviction (or the threat of)
•  Harassment
•  Dishonest or unfair trading behaviour

3. The number of complaints you have received from private renters in each of the last six financial years (i.e. 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2023/24 until the most recent available date) about letting agencies (or the top ten with the most complaints is fine). Please provide the name of each letting agency, along with the number of complaints.

4. The number of complaints you have received from private renters in each of the last six financial years (i.e. 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2023/24 until the most recent available date) that have been resolved:

•  By the council
•  By the landlord/letting agency
•  Referred to an external body (such as Environmental Health)

Response 30-04-2024

1. - 4. For the entire period requested there were 937 visits recorded against residential premises and 294 Housing Service Requests. Any one of these visits may have been as a result of a complaint, so each one would need to be checked to see if this was the reason for the visit, and then we would need to check if it was against a private landlord. At an estimated average of 5 minutes per record this task would take a total of 105 hours, which would cost the Council in excess of £600 of staff time. In accordance with section 12 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (excessive cost), we are therefore unable to comply with this request.