Scottish housing secretary Mairi McAllan has focused stopping “unacceptable” ranges of empty houses within the nation.
She that she was going to fund extra empty houses officers to convey privately owned homes again into use.
McAllan stated: “Bringing houses again into use is a crucial a part of our plan to deal with the housing emergency – when too many households are struggling to search out someplace to stay, it’s unacceptable to me that so many homes are mendacity empty for lengthy durations.”
Officers work on the £2m a 12 months Scottish authorities funding within the Scottish Empty Properties Partnership (SEHP).
This organisation seeks to establish empty houses and encourage house owners to convey these properties onto the market. There are already empty houses officers throughout many Scottish councils, and the organisation has introduced slightly below 11,000 houses to the market within the fifteen years because it was established.
Figures revealed by the Scottish Empty Properties Partnership (SEHP) acknowledged that in 2023/24 there have been 46,217 houses empty for six months in Scotland, however this determine falls to twenty-eight,280 for houses which have been vacant for greater than a 12 months.
Concentrating on empty and second houses should not the reply to Scottish housing shortages, in keeping with Scotland’s largest letting and property company DJ Alexander.
David Alexander, the chief government officer of DJ Alexander Scotland, stated: “There’s little doubt that regenerating and reviving houses which have been empty for a considerable time frame might be useful for an space.
“A property that’s an eyesore in a village, city or metropolis can solely be improved by renovation.
“The priority is that by conflating the problem of the present housing scarcity in Scotland with nearly simply over 28,000 houses empty for a 12 months misses the purpose that even when all of those homes are put available on the market instantly this may do little to alleviate the accrued issues the nation presently faces.
“As well as, a property being vacant for 12 months can imply nearly nothing as this may be for a number of causes as conceded by SEHP.”
The best variety of houses empty for greater than a 12 months was in Highland which had 3,334, Edinburgh was subsequent with 2,751, and Aberdeen had 2,615.
On the different finish of the size East Renfrewshire solely had 62 vacant houses for six months and isn’t listed on the official statistics for longer than a 12 months, presumably indicating there have been none for the total 12 months.
Clackmannanshire had 102 and East Dunbartonshire 220 vacant for greater than 12 months.
