Michael Palethorpe discusses how the role of housebuilders has evolved beyond construction to include a responsibility for delivering meaningful and lasting social value through targeted community benefit initiatives. There has been an undeniable shift in the role of housebuilders across the UK. Wit

Jane Wood discusses the critical decline of SME homebuilders in Scotland and calls for urgent reforms to support the sector. In June 2024, Homes for Scotland (HFS) took a bold step to fill a glaring gap in our national housing data. Our landmark report, Scotland’s SME Home Builders 2024: Data

As we reach the end of Pride Month 2025, this is the opportune moment to highlight the issues facing LGBTQ+ individuals when trying to secure safe accommodation, writes Charley Wilson. The housing crisis in Scotland continues to affect many, but for some, the challenges of homelessness are intensifi

Jimmy Black relives a few housing decades with Laurie Naumann, a campaigner on single homelessness, and a founder of Kingdom Housing Association. This is a story about Laurie Naumann, who recently retired after 44 years as a board member at Kingdom Housing Association. But it’s also a step bac

Jimmy Black cycled to Stornoway to meet Calum (Barney) MacKay, chair of TPAS Scotland and long-standing tenant activist. Barney is a trade unionist, and that explains a lot. Trades unions teach their active members how to do many useful things, including basic skills, like how to run a meeting or th

Jimmy Black meets the energetic Evie Copland, multi-award-winner and housing evangelist. “The biggest problem is … how do I change the world with this?” Evie Copland is finishing her Master's in Housing Studies, and she has been a distinguished student. In 2021 she won the Malcolm

Jimmy Black meets Bill Banks, retiring CEO of the multi award-winning Kingdom Group. Bill Banks looks relaxed, calm and entirely at home in his relatively modest office at Kingdom Housing Association. He’s a man at the height of his powers with a very solid track record of achievement. But Bil

Below is a full transcript of episode 71 of the Scottish Housing News Podcast titled ‘Damp, mould and tenant behaviour with Kerry Brown and Patrick McRedmond'. Listen to the episode here.

In this episode of the Scottish Housing News Podcast, hosts Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black discuss the complexities of retrofitting tenement buildings in Scotland with experts Josiah Lockhart, Mike Heffron and Chris Carus. They explore the unique challenges posed by the ownership structures of tenem

In this episode of the Scottish Housing News Podcast, Professor Duncan McLennan discusses the complexities of the Scottish housing system, addressing the notion of a housing emergency, the implications of the right to buy policy, and the urgent need for increased social housing. Speaking with hosts

Below is a full transcript of episode 69 of the Scottish Housing News Podcast titled ‘A conversation with Professor Duncan Maclennan’. Listen to the episode here.

Retrofitting tenements was the subject of the latest SHN podcast with guests from Changeworks, Loco Home and Under One Roof. Jimmy Black yearns for heat networks, not heat pumps... “With tenements, it’s every single problem around net zero and climate change all rolled into one building.

Jimmy Black asks Duncan Maclennan about the Right to Buy for housing associations.

Jimmy Black wonders about the current Housing Bill.

Jimmy Black reflects on the Heat in Buildings Bill, and laments the loss of Patrick Harvie’s radical edge.

For the next edition of Our Housing Heritage, journalist and digital history specialist Chris Holme shares the story of how First World War servicemen came to reside in the rural village of Longniddry. Unlikely as it sounds, the Longniddry Piggery provided Britain’s first purpose-built homes f

In the latest article in the ongoing Our Housing Heritage series, Scottish Housing News discusses the Glasgow Rent Strikes of 1915. In the absence of social housing, families across the UK in 1915 were at the mercy of private landlords who could hike rents and evict tenants at will with little restr

The Springburn office of ng homes is named after Ned Donaldson. But who was Ned Donaldson? Kieran Findlay recalls the contribution of the activist and the post-war battle to stop the privatisation of council housing at Merrylee. It was a cold sleety December day in 1951. Slum landlordism and sublett

Duncan Smith, who works in the social housing sector, has contributed this piece as part of his quest for more information about housing architect George Gibson. Several years ago, just after starting my current job, I undertook some research on the properties we were refurbishing at the time. I fou

Scottish households are being urged to submit meter readings to their energy supplier as the newly lowered Ofgem price cap comes into force. Advice Direct Scotland, which runs the national energy advice service energyadvice.scot, is reminding consumers to act before midnight on 30 June to avoid bein

Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney MSP, has hailed the “remarkable” efforts made by Warmworks in tackling fuel poverty, at a reception marking the organisation’s tenth anniversary. Warmworks was established in 2015 as a joint venture partnership between Energy Saving Tru

Two Scottish pensioners who lost their entitlement to Winter Fuel Payment and the equivalent Scottish benefit to be introduced in winter 2024/25 after changes were made to the eligibility rules have lost a judicial review challenge to the decisions of both the UK and Scottish governments.

First Minister John Swinney has confirmed that pensioners in Scotland will receive no less than they would under the new UK Winter Fuel Payment scheme.

A significant investment has been agreed to help tackle homelessness in South Lanarkshire. The project will turn a vacant building in Hamilton into 15 temporary ‘First Stop’ housing units, meaning fewer people will be put up in expensive and unsuitable bed and breakfast accommodation.

The City of Edinburgh Council has approved a plan to convert a 67-room student accommodation block on Gorgie Road into temporary housing for homeless individuals.

Glasgow City Council has committed to the principle that there should be no ‘shared air’ communal night shelters in the city after hearing hard-hitting testimony of the damaging impact they had on people who were homeless last winter. This commitment was made during a summit hosted by th

A piece of legislation that empowers police across England and Wales to fine or imprison people for rough sleeping or begging looks set to be scrapped after more than 200 years.

The Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL) has called on the Scottish Government to pause the Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS) for landlords to help alleviate the housing crisis and homelessness. Part of the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) system, the ADS is a tax that applies in Scot

Efforts to improve energy efficiency standards across the private rented sector will worsen the housing crisis and force people to spend longer in emergency homeless accommodation, the Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL) has warned.

Every private residential property in Ireland is to be subject to rent controls after the Cabinet approved the extension of current Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) across the country.

Lee Hardy has joined the ownership and senior management team of Dwello, Scotland’s new residential letting agent, as its director of new business. Dwello launched in late May 2025, opening its first office on Byres Road in Glasgow.

New figures released this week have revealed that 326,255 children are actively benefiting from the Scottish Child Payment across the country. The Scottish Child Payment is unique to Scotland and provides financial support for families, helping with the costs of caring for a child. It is a monthly p

The number of applications for Discretionary Housing Payments has risen to 129,860 from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, a 4.5% increase from the previous year, according to new figures from the Scottish Government.

Households in the Inverness Area have benefited significantly from Welfare Advice received by Highland Council officers when applying for the Inverness Winter Payment Scheme. Leader of Inverness and Area, Councillor Ian Brown, explained: “Councillors have agreed to continue the Inverness Commo

Hillcrest has helped tenants unlock a remarkable £502,740 in financial gains through a targeted campaign to increase the take-up of Pension Credit, support many tenants were unaware they were entitled to. The campaign was delivered by Hillcrest’s Financial Wellbeing Team (FWT) and Hillcr