Rising property prices in East Renfrewshire are making housing crisis worse

The latest Registers of Scotland statistics on house prices saw an average annual increase of 4.8 per cent to £150,472.

In East Renfrewshire, there was an slightly smaller rise of 3.9 per cent, although the average house of £223,417 is the highest in the country outside of the City of Edinburgh.

But while property sellers might be happy to see prices on the rise, Scotland’s housing and homelessness charity says many others are being adversely impacted.

Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland, said: “Above inflation house price rises are no reason for celebration.

“They disproportionately impact on young people, first-time buyers and those on lower incomes who are already struggling to get on the property ladder and contribute directly to Scotland’s housing crisis.

“At the heart of our housing crisis is the lack of genuinely affordably homes, with demand greatly outstripping supply and leaving people at the mercy of market forces.

“We need to see a real step change in the supply of affordable housing. This would ease wider pressure in our housing system and make it easier for more people to secure an affordable home.”

Registers of Scotland business development and information director Kenny Crawford said: “Average prices have been increasing each month since March 2016.”