Over £110m of empty homes back into use

The value of long-term private empty homes brought back into use across Scotland in the last year exceeded £110 million, according to new'¨figures.
Over £110 million worth of empty homes have been brought back into use across Scotland in the last year.Over £110 million worth of empty homes have been brought back into use across Scotland in the last year.
Over £110 million worth of empty homes have been brought back into use across Scotland in the last year.

The annual report by the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP), which is funded by the Scottish Government and facilitated by housing and homelessness charity Shelter Scotland, says that despite almost 700 private empty properties being brought back into use in the last year, more work still needs to be done to address the problem of long-term empty homes.

Among its recommendations, SEHP calls for legislation of a Compulsory Sale Order power for vacant and derelict land and properties.

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There are currently around 34,000 long-term private empty homes across Scotland. Meanwhile, according to Shelter Scotland, 150,000 families and individuals are on the main waiting list for a home. Last year, over 36,000 homelessness applications were made by households in Scotland.

Housing Minister Kevin Stewart, said: “The Scottish Government is pleased to support the work of the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership and delighted this is delivering real results on the ground. These impressive results demonstrate the hard work of the Partnership and the network of empty homes officers to ensure as many empty homes are brought back into use as possible.”

To report an empty home, get advice if you are the owner of an empty home or register interest in buying empty properties, call 0344 515 1941.