Tag: empty homes

Finding new owners for empty homes

Scheme launched to help return more empty homes to active use

A new online portal has been launched to bring empty homeowners together with prospective buyers or developers with the aim of facilitating more properties to be used as homes again. 

Covering the whole of Scotland, this builds on the success of local pilots, referred to as “matchmaker schemes”, which allow owners of empty homes to upload details of their properties to a website through which anyone, such as first time buyers, families, developers or local authorities, can make purchasing enquiries.   

The portal is hosted by the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership and has been developed as part of a £2 million investment this year to recruit additional empty homes officers and fund initiatives that will accelerate the pace and numbers of empty homes that are brought back into use.  

Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan said: “If you have an empty home to sell, this new portal is for you.

“Making best use of existing housing stock is central to tackling the housing emergency. Bringing owners and buyers together is a great way of adding to the overall housing supply, be that for affordable housing or use on the private market and it complements our ambitious house building programme.

“We are already making progress in turning around empty properties. Over the past 15 years we have helped return almost 13,000 privately owned homes to use and last year we saw 2,066 homes brought back in a single year, the highest in a year to date.  

“I would encourage anyone who has a home lying empty to use this new scheme and seek advice from the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership and their local council to bring their home back into use.” 

Tahmina Nizam, Scottish Empty Homes Partnership National Manager, said: “Every home matters in our collective fight against the housing emergency, so we’re delighted to launch this brand-new matchmaker scheme. 

“We know selling an empty home can be a daunting task; the matchmaker scheme is designed to make that process easier and to help get more homes back into productive use. 

“We want anyone who owns an empty home to know that support is available, either from the network of dedicated local empty homes officers working in local authorities across the country or directly from the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership. 

“No home was built to sit empty and it’s vital that we make the best possible use of the assets we already have. Every individual empty property could provide a safe and secure place for someone to call home, but collectively Scotland’s empty homes can make a huge contribution to ending the housing emergency.” 

Matchmaker Scheme for Empty Homes in Scotland – Scotland Empty Homes Partnership

Scottish Government: Bringing more empty homes back into use

More support for local authorities

Additional empty homes officers are being recruited to bring more privately owned houses back into use.

The new posts are being supported as part of a £2 million investment through the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership in 2025-26 which will see staff take a more proactive and targeted approach to tackling local housing issues.

Funding will also help to train and induct new staff, grow services and ensure empty homes are utilised, including by increasing support for local authorities to make compulsory purchase orders.

Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan said: “Bringing homes back into use is a vital part of our plan to tackle the housing emergency. When too many families are struggling to find somewhere to live, it is unacceptable to me that that houses should lie empty.

“It’s important to help councils step up measures to turn privately-owned empty properties into much-needed homes and it’s encouraging that local authorities have already come forward to make use of this support.

“As the First Minister has set out, this government is determined to eradicate child poverty – and tackling the housing emergency by making sure families have access to a home is a crucial part of that.”

Scottish Empty Homes Partnership National Manager Tahmina Nizam said: “Every home matters as we work together to end Scotland’s housing emergency. 

“In councils across the country Empty Homes Officers are delivering results, with over 11,000 homes having brought back into use since 2010. The additional posts supported by this funding will expand on that vital work. 

“New Empty Homes Officers are already in post at City of Edinburgh Council, while recruitment is underway in several other local authorities. 

“Homes weren’t built to sit empty; every empty home has the potential to transform a family or individuals’ life but collectively they have an enormous role to play in reducing housing need and tackling the housing emergency.  

“We look forward to welcoming more new Empty Homes Officers as they come into post and supporting their efforts to bring more homes back into use.” 

Council Tax premium on second homes

Draft legislation aiming to prioritise homes for living in

Draft regulations allowing local authorities to charge up to double the full rate of Council Tax on second homes have been laid before the Scottish Parliament.  

If approved, local authorities would be able to apply the Council Tax premium on homes that are not used as a main residence.

This change, a Programme for Government commitment, attracted majority support in a joint consultation with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA). It will bring second homes into line with long-term empty homes from 1 April 2024.

In the 2024-25 financial year, it will be based on rates from 2023-24.

Public Finance Minister Tom Arthur said: “We want everyone in Scotland to have a home that meets their needs. We know second homes can sometimes benefit local communities, but they can also restrict the availability of housing and increase costs for people who want to rent or buy.

“Subject to approval by Parliament, this legislation aims to prioritise housing for living in by allowing local authorities to charge a Council Tax premium on second homes. Backed by a majority of respondents to our joint consultation with COSLA, it will enable councils to seek a fair contribution towards local services from second-home owners.”

COSLA Resources Spokesperson Councillor Katie Hagmann said: “Subject to Parliamentary approval, COSLA very much welcomes the ability for councils to take the decision to increase the premium on second homes in their areas.

“Allowing the politicians who are closest to their communities to take decisions about what best suits local needs and circumstances is well aligned to the Verity House Agreement.”  

Act now to ensure empty homes are not legacy of Covid crisis, says charity leader

Crumbling bricks, broken windows and overgrown gardens of empty homes across Scotland could be a visual legacy of the economic crisis caused by the Covid pandemic if action is not taken to bring more properties back in to use, says the leader of a project working with local authorities across the country.

Shaheena Din, National Project Manager for the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, which is funded by the Scottish Government and hosted by Shelter Scotland, will tell the organisations 10th annual conference that local authorities must include working to bring Scotland’s almost 50,000 empty homes back into use as part of Covid-19 recovery plans or risk them becoming the symbol of economic crisis.

According to Scottish Government figures published in December, 47,333 properties in Scotland had been empty for 6 months or more, up 16% (6370) from the previous year. 

More worryingly, the full impact of Covid-19 on the number of long-term empty homes is still emerging, and the figures may continue to rise for some time.

SEHP are also concerned the pandemic has placed Scotland’s ability to deliver 50,000 new affordable homes at risk and believe empty homes can provide a cost-effective way of providing much needed affordable homes after the pandemic.  The average cost of returning an empty home to a habitable state is between £6,000 and £12,000, ten times less than the average cost of building a new home.

Furthermore, bringing empty homes back into use can provide a vital income stream to businesses and the local economy. 

Scottish Government figures show that every £1 spent on renovating property in Scotland generates £1.60 for the economy.  This is because someone repairing or renovating an empty home are likely to be hiring local builders and purchasing materials from local suppliers. This money is then further invested in the local economy.

Shaheena Din, National Project Manager for Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, said: “Images of empty homes came to symbolise economic decline and the loss of vibrant communities across Scotland in the 1980s and recent figures show the Covid crisis is already causing more empty homes in Scotland.

“We must act now to ensure empty homes do not become a legacy of the pandemic.  By investing in dedicated empty home services, councils can help make homes available for those who need them, improve local communities and deliver a much-needed boost to local economies.”

“No area is immune so we need the 11 councils without a dedicated service to create one urgently, and for all local authorities to prioritise support for bringing empty homes back in to use as part of their recovery and rebuilding plans.”