Empty Homes

By Gavin Leask from the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership The mornings are getting colder, the nights longer and the clothes woollier. Which can only mean one thing; the annual Scottish Empty Homes Conference is approaching fast. And with the conference, comes another annual event; the Howdens Scotti

Work being undertaken to bring Aberdeenshire Council properties back into use was discussed at the latest meeting of the local authority’s communities committee. The matter was raised as part of an update on housing performance highlighting the latest figures for re-let times for homes, and the wo

Before and after: 96 St Leonard’s Road in Ayr had fallen into disrepair after the previous owner moved away An awards ceremony which recognises the work being done in the battle to bring Scotland’s 37,000 privately-owned long-term empty homes back into use is calling for nominations from across

Image: Tom Manley for Scottish Land Commission The Scottish Land Commission has called for a new Compulsory Sales Order (CSO) power to be introduced to tackle the blight of abandoned buildings and parcels of vacant and derelict land in town centres and communities across Scotland.

Neglected buildings in Galston before the start of CARS projects New rules are to be introduced by East Ayrshire Council which will make it more expensive for owners to leave their properties unoccupied.

The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP) is celebrating strong progress over the last 12 months as it helped bring more than 700 homes lying empty for more than six months back into use. Last year the partnership supported local authorities and partners to bring 742 long-term private empty homes

Thousands more long-term, privately-owned empty homes across Scotland are in the sights of an expanded team which aims to use all its powers to bring them back into use. A key aim of the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP) – which has recently had its funding doubled by the Scottish Government

The Scottish Government needs to play catch-up on the worsening problem of empty homes and second homes if it is to tackle the housing crisis, according to the Scottish Greens. Publishing a major new report on the issue, the party’s housing spokesperson Andy Wightman MSP reveals that over the last

Councillors on the Western Isles have backed in principal the introduction of a dedicated officer to help bring long-term, privately-owned empty homes back into use. The community and housing committee of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has recommended the council accept an offer of part-funding for the p

The former farm cottages at Cessford, Roxburghe Estates Independent property consultancy Galbraith has been appointed to bring six empty properties on a historic Borders estate back into use.

By Shaheena Din, national project manager for the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership

West Lothian Council is to remove a council tax discount currently afforded to owners of long-term unoccupied properties as it takes steps to bring vacant homes back into use. The council is writing to around 300 homeowners whose properties are currently classed as long-term unoccupied, as they have

Barbara Crichton with Elspeth Ahlfeld A new project has been launched to tackle long-term privately-owned empty homes in Inverclyde.

The Liberal Democrats have urged the Scottish Government to introduce a new loan scheme to help with the cost of renovating empty homes, after the party discovered almost 1,000 properties have lain empty for over a decade. Party leader Willie Rennie made the plea after a Freedom of Information reque

88 properties have been transformed thanks to help from South Ayrshire Council's Empty Homes programme Owners of unoccupied homes in South Ayrshire are being offered additional help to sell-up to increase the supply of affordable properties to the community.