News

New rules introduced in Scotland to improve household safety could be even tighter, according to an industry specialist. Under the regulations, every home in the country must have a smoke alarm fitted in the living room and in areas such as hallways and landings. There must also be carbon monoxide (

Scottish youth homelessness charity Rock Trust is adding to Edinburgh’s event scene with an outrageous 80s fuelled bingo fundraiser, the day before the UK is set to leave the EU. In partnership with event creatives Rogue Village, whose events include Canteen Street Food Festival and A Christma

Glasgow-based construction firm City Building gained a prestigious Customer Service Excellence award following a rigorous independent assessment. The accreditation, awarded by the Customer Service Excellence Standard, considered several aspects of the business, including customer insight,

Partnership housing developer Lovell has been celebrating having secured Gold Investors in People accreditation for a further three years as its new Scottish headquarters were officially opened by local constituency MSP Richard Lyle. Located at Strathclyde Business Park, Lovell’s Scotland team

A Scottish housebuilder spurred an audience of 576 to “dig deep” and give £101,000 to allow children and young people living with cancer to enjoy a family retreat in a purpose built sanctuary at Loch Venachar near Callander. Barratt Homes West Scotland organised the charity dinner

Scotland's "unworkable" Rent Pressure Zones should be urgently replaced with a system of "proper rent controls", according to a new report. The Rent Controls Scotland Needs is set to be launched in Glasgow tomorrow by Living Rent, Scotland's tenants' union, in conjunction with "think-and-do tank" Co

Aberdeen City Council has launched a new empty homes service with support from the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP). A full-time specialist empty homes officer will be employed to help track down owners of empty properties and work with them to return them to the housing stock, for instance b

North Lanarkshire Council has announced plans to overhaul how it allocates sheltered housing to older people. From April, the council will be contacted over 1,000 older people currently on the waiting list for sheltered accommodation to arrange an assessment and gauge their support requirements.

Homelessness charity Bethany Christian Trust has launched a new campaign to raise urgent funds for beds in their emergency night shelter in Edinburgh. Through the Winter Care Shelter, now permanently based at Diadem, on Gorgie Road, the charity provides a safe and warm night's sleep to people facing

Housebuilding in Scotland has not recovered to pre-recession levels, unlike the sector in England and Wales, because of differences in the planning system, MSPs have been told. Nicola Barclay, chief executive of Homes for Scotland, told the Scottish Parliament's economy committee that the national p

Military veterans and their families will be able to access military accommodation for up to a year after leaving service under new measures announced yesterday. Current Service Family Accommodation (SFA) rules, which allow personnel who have left the Armed Forces to stay in military housing for six

The Association of Scotland's Self-Caterers (ASSC) has called for local authorities to be allowed to limit the number of short-term rental properties in rent pressure zones. In a new paper, Long-Term Approach to Short-Term Letting, the association has sought to reconcile the economic benefit of the

The Isle of Rum Community Trust (IRCT) has lodged a planning application for eight new houses on the island, to be managed by Lochaber Housing Association. The proposed development would be made up of two blocks of four two-bedroom houses, the Press & Journal reports.

West Dunbartonshire Council did not place anyone presenting as homeless in bed and breakfast accommodation last year, according to new figures. The council has scrapped the use of B&Bs for homeless people, with just one being placed in a B&B in 2017/18 and just six in 2017/17, the Clydebank

East Dunbartonshire Council has agreed to a 3.5% increase in council housing rent as part of its housing revenue and capital budget for 2019/20. The average weekly rent will increase from £73.27 to £75.83 over a 52-week period, an average weekly increase of £2.56.