Spare-room lodgers on the rise

The number of Scots taking in lodgers to boost their income has soared to a record high over the past year, new figures show.

The biggest increase has been in Falkirk, where there has been a 28 per cent rise – a UK high – in the number of homeowners becoming live-in landlords, charging an average room rent of £360 a month.

Aberdeen, Motherwell and Glasgow have also seen spare room lets jump by a fifth or more, putting them all among the top ten UK areas with the biggest increases in the number of people taking in lodgers.

Aberdonians charge spare room tenants an average of £442, the joint highest in the UK. In Glasgow the typical rent is £377 and in Motherwell it’s £338, according to SpareRoom.co.uk, the flat and house-share website.

Those letting out spare rooms also benefit from rent-a-room relief, of up to £4,250 a year without paying tax.