THE cost of renting a home in Renfrewshire has soared by more than 10% over the past year, according to a new report.

Experts at real estate firm Citylets found that the average monthly rent on a flat or a house in the local area is now £655.

The hike in charges by private landlords was above the Scottish average of 9.9%.

Those renting a one-bedroom property in Renfrewshire can now expect to pay £465 per month, with the average rent for a two-bedroom home increasing to £615.

However, the biggest increase has affected three-bedroom family homes, with the average rent jumping by more than 16% to £790 per month.

It means a rise for many tenants of more than £100, on top of increases in gas, electricity and food prices.

The Citylets survey also found that, despite the rent hikes, most properties in Renfrewshire were snapped up within a month of being made available.

Campaigners and politicians have now called for a major social housing construction programme where homes are rented out at affordable prices by councils or housing associations.

Alison Watson, director of homelessness charity Shelter Scotland, said: “Scotland has been experiencing a housing emergency for years and, with an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis bearing down, people are being pushed into poverty, often having to choose whether they pay rent, buy food or keep themselves warm.

“The only way to stop the housing emergency is to build more social housing.”

The average rent for a two-bedroom home in Renfrewshire is more expensive than the likes of Brechin (£502), Dumfries (£516), Kilmarnock (£517), Forfar (£532), Arbroath (£533) and Cumbernauld (£534).

John Blackwood, chief executive of the Scottish Association of Landlords, said: “The problem is a lack of supply caused by landlords selling up and leaving the private rented sector.

“The vast majority of landlords do not increase rents during a tenancy. Unreasonable rent increases are not in the interests of landlords because they will simply become unaffordable for tenants, resulting in tenancies breaking down and landlords being left without any income.”