News

All short-term let properties will require a licence to ensure they are safe and the people providing them are suitable, under legislation approved by the Scottish Parliament. Local authorities will be required to establish a short-term lets licensing scheme by 1 October 2022, and existing hosts and

Housing Options Scotland has joined Everyone Home, bringing the number of organisations in the collective to 37. In 2022 Housing Options Scotland is celebrating 25 years of providing housing information, support and advice across Scotland.

A continued shortage of new properties being listed for sale, despite a rise in new buyer enquiries, is still preventing a pick-up in sales volumes and house prices continue to increase, according to the December 2021 RICS UK Residential Market Survey.

Offsite Solutions has been awarded a £3 million contract to manufacture 588 bathroom pods for its third major build-to-rent neighbourhood for Moda Living.

Falkirk Council has agreed to a £347 million investment in housing over the next five years with funding allocated for improvements to existing homes and the provision of additional homes. In 2022/23 alone, £38.7m will be spent on improvements to around 6,800 properties with £6.5m

Social housing residents in England will be better protected as part of a review to ensure they are listened to, according to Eddie Hughes, minister for rough sleeping and housing in England. The review on qualifications and professional training will drive up standards by making sure social housing

The Ofgem Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme has awarded more than £3.9 million in grants to 20 charities across England, Scotland and Wales, including Ardenglen, Blairtummock and Hjaltland housing associations, in its 13th round of funding.

The twin stresses of the Covid-19 pandemic and the significant turbulence in the UK energy market must be tackled to address fuel poverty according to a letter issued by the Scottish Parliament’s Social Justice and Social Security Committee.

A new build social housing development in the Highlands by Link Group is one of eight infrastructure projects that are to share £8.7 million of Scottish Government investment to deliver carbon-cutting projects across the country. The project has been awarded £812,013 to install 

An ambitious £100 million ten-year plan to transform the quality of council housing in eight areas throughout Renfrewshire has been given the green light to move to the next stage.

Peers in the House of Lords have voted in favour of an amendment to the Police, Crime, Courts and Sentencing Bill to scrap the Vagrancy Act across England and Wales. Already repealed in Scotland, the 1824 legislation is still continually used to criminalise people for rough sleeping or beg

The Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) has appointed Helen Shaw as director of regulation. Ms Shaw is currently an assistant director with the Regulator and will take over the role of director from Ian Brennan who announced in November that he is leaving the Regulator.

Mull and Iona Community Trust (MICT) has handed over the keys to another long-term rental property. Pennyghael Schoolhouse was purchased in 2021 with funding from the Scottish Land Fund, Argyll & Bute Council and Ecology Building Society, to ensure it remained a permanent home in perpetuity.

The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has imposed fines against Mastercard, allpay, Advanced Payment Solutions, Prepaid Financial Services and Sulion after concluding that the five parties infringed competition law by agreeing not to compete or poach each other’s customers in the prepaid cards m

Clydebank-based Together Energy has become the latest supplier to cease trading. Along with its subsidiary Bristol Energy, the company supplies around 176,000 domestic customers, and one non-domestic customer.