Insight

DM Hall property expert Calum Allmond believes it's time for a fresh look at the many ways an Energy Performance Certificate can be beneficial to property owners. In the same way that Home Reports have become an accepted part of the residential property market so have Energy Performance Certificates

As part of Scotland Excel’s ‘Supporting the journey to net zero’ campaign, Caitriona Jordan, head of retrofit programmes at Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST), looks at the skills needed in the construction industry to support decarbonisation. Decarbonisation

Alan McIntosh, managing director of Advice Talks Ltd, which operates the www.advicescotland.com website, is calling on money advisers to think differently about the energy debt crisis. As we all sit on a precipice waiting to find out how much the energy price cap will rise in October, and whether th

Launching our new monthly feature of Housing Champion interviews, Jimmy Black profiles Kirsty Wells, director of consultancy and partnership at Housemark and the newly appointed chair of WISH Scotland. Kirsty Wells began plunging into the chilly waters of reservoirs and the North Sea during COV

In a guest blog for the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE), Pedro Cameron from Housing Options Scotland highlights the link between homelessness and inequality, and explains why it’s crucial for local authorities to embed Inclusion, Diversity, Equality and Accessibility (IDEA

As part of Scotland Excel’s ‘Supporting the journey to net zero’ campaign, David Pierpoint, chief executive officer at The Retrofit Academy, explores the skills gap in the retrofit sector and what’s needed to decarbonise housing stock in Scotland. Scotland, like the rest of t

Chris McGinn at PfH Scotland gives an overview of the new domestic retrofit standard, PAS 2035, and provides advice for housing associations and local authorities on how to prepare for and cope with the changes. Last year a new domestic retrofit standard was introduced to Scotland and acro

Margaret Corrigan from Cunninghame Housing Association's Lemon Aid Fuel Poverty & Advisory Service provides some detail on the issue of low carbon heating systems vs affordability for tenants. Energy prices have risen at unprecedented rates in the past year, and it is estimated that a further 80

Abolishing mandatory evictions is the subject of the latest episode of the SHN podcast. Co-host Jimmy Black predicts dramatic change will result ... A cynic might think that decades of rent controls, different rent controls, no rent controls and better tenancies have made little difference …

Calum Allmond, associate and head of architectural services at DM Hall, discusses the building warrants and permissions needed for home improvements in Scotland. Scotland’s housing market continues to boom with prices reaching unprecedented levels, so perhaps this is a good time to put your ho

Paul Kelly argues that more collaboration and regular communications with planning authorities is required to get projects moving. It’s no surprise to me that the number of affordable homes started in the last quarter has decreased significantly from the same period last year. For private sale

To protect customers, the UK government has introduced a new code of practice and ombudsman scheme applying to all private buyers of new homes for owner-occupation anywhere in the UK. Finlay Campbell explains the details. The New Homes Quality Board (NHQB), an independent body established by Westmin

The recent procurement award season went extremely well for Scotland Excel’s New Build Framework - winning Scottish and national awards for ‘Best Procurement Delivery’, but also winning the ‘GO Excellence Award’ at the national final. We caught up with Graeme Sutherland

As part of Scotland Excel’s ‘Supporting the journey to net zero’ campaign, John Renwick, sector manager construction at ESP, reveals how Scotland’s colleges are transitioning at pace to develop low carbon heat and energy efficiency training facilities. The Scottish Government

Launching a regular SHN column on Technology Enabled Care in Housing (TECH), Steph Elliot highlights a new interim report that reveals advances made by the TECH programme over the past two and a half years. The social housing sector in Scotland reaches over 600,000 households across the country