empty homes grant scotland

We now have 24 councils that report having an empty homes service. This review will explore a number of approaches which touch on all these elements. On one hand, this flexible application is provides an example of powers which can be tailored and responsive to local needs. Whatever the reason for your empty home, we want to help bring it back into use. National Records of Scotland data shows that of the 2.60 million dwellings in Scotland in 2017, 105,000 (4%) were unoccupied. In Scotland, empty homes which would normally be eligible for Council Tax are exempt up to a period of 6 months, after which they are liable for council tax, although a 50% discount applies. #nf-form-1-cont { The researchers found that EHOs not only provide a useful service to members of the public who own an empty property but in acting as a go-between for other stakeholders, such as the LA. The authors concluded that this work demonstrated that Retro-Tek sustainable refurbishment could be delivered at scale through subsequent leasing and rent recuperation with profit reinvested in more empty housing refurbishment projects. The use of a Council Tax premium designed to disincentivise empty properties was reported in several papers drawing on data from studies across Scotland, England and Wales (Scottish Government 2019; National Assembly for Wales 2019; Davies 2014; Tanner 2013). Empty Homes in Scotland - Parliamentary Business : Scottish Parliament Your cookie preferences have been saved. If you agree to the terms and conditions of funding and would like to find out if your property is suitable you can contact the. Any individual, both residents and visitors to the area, can report an empty property. There are some suppliers who are able to offer preferential rates to empty home owners undertaking works to bringthem back into use. 2019), additional research is needed into how management of such partnerships work in practice. However, since April 2013, LAs have had a discretionary power to reduce this discount to between 10% and 50%, as well as, for certain properties that have been empty for 12 months or more, a further discretionary power to remove the discount altogether, or charge a Council Tax premium of up to 100% (Scottish Government 2019). .nf-form-content .nf-field-container #nf-field-4-wrap .nf-field-element .ninja-forms-field { We will be bring these online as soon as we can. The most common statutory powers for empty homes in Scotland are compulsory purchase orders (CPOs), these can be used in all UK nations and in Ireland. In a more radical example from Spain, disincentivising empty properties included imposing a system of fines, whereby the Catalonian 'Right to Housing Act (2007) introduced the possibility of fining banks who hold empty properties in their ownership and fining companies who hold empty housing stock for two years or more (Housing Agency Ireland 2016). If you are interested in purchasing an empty home in the Argyll and Bute area, please complete registration form and return to Empty Homes Officer. Salford Council received 28% more New Homes Bonus funding allocation for the period to 2021, based on properties brought back into use between 2010 and 2015, than would have been received had they not carried out the empty homes initiative, illustrating long term beneficial effects on their resources. Anyone can apply. Our handy guide gives an overview of HMRC guidelines on eligibility. LAs undertaking an EDMO do have to provide financing for these property improvements, with the attendant financial risk, possibility of non-repayment, and risk that some types of cost outlay will be non-recoverable (National Assembly for Wales 2019). .nf-form-content .nf-field-container #nf-field-9-wrap { The flowchart above gives a handy guide to when the Council Tax unoccupied premium or levy can be applied. Shelter, the National Campaign for Homeless People Limited. EHOs can also advise on referrals to access trade discounts on goods and services from an approved list of construction merchants maintained by SEHP (Rudman 2014). Who are we and what are our key objectives? Reasons why a property has remained unoccupied. Please contact the Empty Homes Officerto find out more. We exist to encourage Scotland's approximately 43,000 privately-owned long-term empty homes back into use. Apply for an empty homes loan | GOV.WALES The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on long-term empty properties being brought back into use; many empty homes officers (EHOs) report that owners advise that empty homes work has stalled due to a rise in the cost of materials, shortages in supplies and the lack of availability of local tradespeople. Over the past year, Empty Homes Officers, supported by the Partnership, have reported that 1,152 empty properties have been brought back into use. Research on self-help housing in England (Mullins, Jones, and Teasdale 2011 and Sacranie 2015 cited in Mullins 2018) found that of five factors identified as necessary for success (finance, properties, workforce, residents and partners), the most important factor was the existence of strong external partnerships with bodies such as LAs. By bringing suitable empty homes back into use, housing need will be reduced and will in turn help to address the housing emergency. experience. More detail here A decent home: definition and guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)),, to grants of up to 34,000 for owners who agreed to let their properties as affordable housing for a minimum of five years. background-color:#d9f1ec; Financialised housing practices may problematise interventions based on an approaches which hold housing as a social good existing for use as homes (Feantsa 2019). These examples indicate the ways LAs can tailor the model to respond to local circumstances. However, several local authorities have advised us that since the pandemic, empty homes work has been deprioritised, or in one council, completely stopped. As part of Scottish Government's effort to provide safety and support to those arriving from Ukraine, Councils and Registered Social Landlords in 2022/23 have been able to apply for SG funding (up to 50 million) to refurbish properties for social rent that would otherwise not be available for let. To get funding from the RIHF you must: have a building site or buildings chosen in a rural area of Scotland - see below for a definition of rural show that there's a need for affordable housing in the area have council support for the homes The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, which is run by the housing charity Shelter Scotland, works with councils to help bring empty private-sector homes back into use. The refurbishment of the property must meet planning & building regulations; Work cannot start before the grant is approved. Evidence scoping review of approaches and interventions to bring empty homes back in to use. Angus Council launches 100,000 empty homes campaign There are around 23,000 long-term empty homes in Scotland. This project: tracks the impact of our research in making the case for this 50 million government programme; explores the impact of the programme in terms of housing and wider social impacts; and. The concept of the financialisation of housing holds that housing is used as a financial tool rather than simply a place to live (Bourne 2019). We use cookies to collect anonymous data to help us improve your site browsing After that, a 10%-50% discount can be applied for another six months. A case study from the US provides an example of how displaced people and immigrant populations can be housed whilst also contributing to self-help refurbishment of empty homes and repopulation of struggling regions. Carnuccio (2014) notes that initiatives are more likely to be successful where housing associations work in partnership with LAs, private owners and community groups. This means that you would not have to pay the Council Tax levy until the property has been empty for up to 24 months. Authors Yoo and Kwon (2019) suggest that this demonstrates the value of taking a local approach to act on regional differences in causes, impacts and scale. . In the National Assembly for Wales report, a SEHP submission to their research highlighted the issue of legal resources as a particular barrier. Scotland's second home owners may be stripped of 400 energy grant. When the owner of apropertyhasreceived agrant, the owner must abide by the following conditions for a period of five years from the completion of the refurbishment: To discuss yourapplication, property inspection or get more information please contact theEmpty Homes Accommodation Teamon 01738 474540 or emailemptyhomesinitiative@pkc.gov.uk, Council Tax Reduction and Housing Benefit, Tackling condensation dampness and mould growth in your home, Free household energy efficiency advice from Scarf, Multi-Storey Blocks of Flats - Improvement Programme, need to be brought back to the repairing standard, The property must be let via Perth and Kinross Councils. Background Tackling empty homes remains a priority for the Scottish Government. Licensing schemes have been imposed in Scotland to limit the number of Airbnb and other short-term let properties being left empty with the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership working closely with local authorities to provide advice and guidance to property owners at a local level.. If all displaced people from Ukraine who hold a visa with a Scottish sponsor arrive, this would rise to 37,897. Across the literature, various interventions and powers have been used to bring empty properties back into use. Perth and Kinross Councils empty homes initiative grants are distributed to enable unused properties to be used again. PDF Empty Homes in Scotland - archive2021.parliament.scot To assist and encourage refurbishment, a VAT reduction applies on building works undertaken on properties which have been empty for two years or more. The 6-month figure is a 7.5% fall from 2020 figures, but this is still 6.5% higher than the pre-pandemic 40,963 long-term empty homes in 2019. The interest free loans were repayable over a period which allowed the monies to be recycled into the scheme, with 42% of loans recovered for re-investment by 2013 and a further phase of the scheme planned at the time to convert empty commercial buildings into homes based on a five year interest free loan in exchange for letting as affordable housing during the loan repayment period (Grimshaw 2013). Weve helped many other empty home owners with all sorts of issues and solutions, including access to reduced VAT on building works. Our focus is on bringing as many empty homes back into use as possible. New Supply Shared Equity (NSSE) Scheme. Since 2015, the local government in Seoul have supported 50% of refurbishment costs on homes which have been vacant for six months, turning them into rentals for low income households at 80% of market price. In a research project from England based on semi-structured interviews with individuals involved in six community-led empty homes projects, Mullins and Sacranie (2014) found that local knowledge gave community-led projects significant advantages in identifying and securing properties and concluded that this competitive advantage could be reinforced by maintaining good links with those in dedicated empty homes roles (such as EHOs). There are more than 27,000 long-term private sector empty homes in Scotland. There may be a good reason why your property is being kept empty or it may have become 'stuck' as an empty home. empty homes next steps | Scottish Parliament Website Properties unoccupied for less than two years but more than one year will also be subject to the double council tax unless they are being actively marketed for sale or let at appropriate conditions. Rudman (2014) noted additional possibilities within the remit of Welsh empty homes project officers (EHPOs) that go beyond providing an advisory and support service to homeowners, arguing the EHPOs' role should be to push the empty homes agenda at not only operational but strategic level. In thriving housing markets and urban centres, it is possible that homes may be voluntarily left empty by owners who seek financial speculation over time as property values increase and will require different approaches to encourage occupation (Feantsa 2019). } It's driven a 1000% increase in homes lost to short-letting in just 5 years. This scheme will run alongside with other Welsh Government schemes like Leasing Scheme Wales which is designed to improve access to longer term affordable housing in the private rental sector. Tackling issue of empty homes in the Borders will strengthen Please contact our Empty Homes Officer with the details, Kelly FernsEmpty Homes OfficerArgyll and Bute CouncilArgyll HouseAlexandra ParadeDunoonPA23 8AJTel: 01369 708672Email: kelly.ferns@argyll-bute.gov.uk, Alternatively you can report empty homes through theShelter Scotland website, Activate toolbar to translate, simplify, magnify or read out text, matchmaker_seller_registration_form_-_abc_application_as_at_oct_2022.pdf, matchmaker_buyer_registration_form_-_abc_application_as_at_oct_2022.pdf. Bringing empty homes back into use - approaches and interventions Councils in Kent rolled out the No Use Empty initiative from 2005 which remains active, based on an approach to funding refurbishment of empty homes through the potential of government loans being used as leverage for owners to secure further investment. In some cases, it'll be in your best interest to sell your empty house at auction or via the open market in whatever current condition its in. As mentioned previously, empty homes may also be used as part of a wider strategy to house displaced people if brought back into use. Liverpool City Council also ran a homes for 1 scheme as part of their empty homes strategy which allocated at least 100 families an affordable home from previous social housing stock on the basis of their owner occupancy for at least five years before the scheme closed due to oversubscription. empty homes grant and loans to support owners of long-term empty properties to bring homes back into use as affordable housing9. As an innovative route to improve the reporting of empty homes, and to better understand barriers to reporting and raise public awareness, an Empty Houses citizen social science pilot project undertaken in England investigated mobilising the public to collect data about empty houses in their local area. With our teams support, they were able to weigh up the relative merits of selling the property in its current condition and understand the cost of a Council Tax levy, helping them focus their minds on preparing the property for sale. In a Scottish example of CPOs being deployed, Glasgow City Council have sought authorisation for 52 CPOs since 2019 as part of their fifty two CPOs were applied for and thirty seven of these were progressed. one-half second } Against this backdrop of significant challenges, and with home working, restrictions on visits to properties and varying access to IT equipment still affecting all EHOs, the achievements of empty homes officers are all the more impressive for 2021/22. Funding is targeted in areas of high housing need where reoccupying an empty property would mean the occupiers vacating a property in the social sector. Our advisers are here to listen and provide the information you need to navigate the situation. Action on Empty Homes' 2019 report presents six 'good practice' examples from England. We appreciate you may have an attachment to a family home, but our advisers are here to listen and help guide you through your options. Of the remaining 15 properties, two were sold or occupied by family members and the other 13 were acquired by housing associations on a voluntary basis. The National Assembly for Wales (2019) reported the main reasons for under-use provided in the literature were lack of resources, a lack of knowledge, and/or the absence of specialist legal support. Whilst this can support some empty property owners with limited resource to take more affordable action to bring their property back in to use, critics have noted that the two year timeframe before properties become eligible for the discount may be problematic for some (Ceranic et al 2017). 2015 cited in Gillett et al. In doing so, their adoption of an 'invest to save' approach recognised that supporting local schemes and services could bring wider benefits to local people, such as jobs and improved community safety, improved health and well-being as well as increasing the supply of affordable housing (Action on Empty Homes 2019). Later in the year, John Lewis wants to convert an empty warehouse in Reading into properties. Housing statistics: Empty properties and second homes A news article describing 2018 research in the UK undertaken by Bloomberg Economics reported that changes to capital-gains tax breaks may mean it makes more financial sense to some potential landlords to leave properties empty rather than to take in tenants; by removing the home from the rental sector owners avoid capital gains tax but continue to benefit from property speculation (Shah 2018) in an own-to-leave investment approach (Dunning and Moore 2020; Wilson et al 2020). . Firstly, the availability of a significant number of empty properties suitable for the intervention were located in a LA with significant demand for social housing stock. There are over 250,000 people in need of homes. Please note that the Empty Homes Matchmaker Scheme is not an estate agency, and all negotiations and sales processes take place between the seller and buyer. The Council concluded that people with local connections to the area and requisite skills may otherwise struggle to stay in the community because of a shortage of suitable homes, whilst landowners are unable to bring empty dwellings in rural agricultural areas back into use. Part of the solution | Scotland: empty homes | isurv PDF Scottish Empty scottish Homes Partnership empty homes partnership .nf-form-content .nf-field-container #nf-field-9-wrap .nf-field-label label { This Impact Acceleration Project is about the Legacy of Empty Homes Community Grants Programme (2011-2015). Factors that could be considered include: If you're facing double Council Tax in Scotland, or if youre unsure about how much you should be paying, get in touch with our advice service for a chat. The Homes and Communities Agency allocated just under 100 million through 2 rounds of the Empty Homes programme. Wilson suggests EDMOs may strike a fairer balance between the rights of property owners and the duty of LAs to secure occupation of empty properties in the public interest. Shelter Scotland estimates an empty home can cost an owner over 7,000 a year. If you cant afford to fund home renovations, give us a call. The scale of empty homes 7. Funding for the owners of individual empty homes is limited, and largely dependent on the local authority area the property is in. We appreciate that deciding to sell an inherited home can be difficult. Case Study YMCA Glenrothes The difference empty homes work makes to peoples lives, Case Study Aberdeen City Council Using empty homes to meet affordable housing supply need, Case Study Paulines Story The impact of empty homes on communities, Case Study An empty home that is causing distress in an area where there is no EHO, What happens to homes brought back into use, Meeting our strategic objectives 1 Dedicated EHO or service in every council, Meeting our strategic objectives 2 Encouraging councils to mainstream empty homes work, Case Study Encouraging councils to mainstream empty homes work, Case Study Angus Council Acquisition/buy back, Case Study Advice Service & Highland Council Discretion on the council tax levy, Case Study The benefits of CPO and what more is needed, Meeting our strategic objectives 3 Encourage registered social landlords, community groups and other private bodies to engage in empty homes work, Case Study Homes For Good Using empty homes work to make a difference to communities, Case study LAR Housing Trust From a colourful past to a bright future with LAR Housing Trust, Meeting our strategic objectives 4 Supporting the Network of Empty Homes Officers, Meeting our strategic objectives 5 Run the Scottish Empty Homes Advice Service. A capacity building programme supporting community-led organisations to make successful funding bids led to more opportunities for local organisations, embedded in and knowledgeable about their communities, to carry out empty homes refurbishments involving volunteer labour, trainee opportunities and local business contacts (Mullins 2018). The Empty Homes Grant Fund will help owners of empty homes to bring long-term unoccupied properties back into residential use. Published 7th Dec 2021, 07:00 BST 1 Comment Councillor Mark Rowley, Executive Member for Economic Regeneration and Finance, Scottish Borders Council On behalf of the Scottish Empty Homes. The plans submitted today will see 428 homes built in West Ealing and 353 in Bromley. Empty Homes Grant Scheme | Empty homes | Scottish Borders Council Action on Empty Homes The value of the role played by dedicated empty homes workers was noted by several studies in the literature (Scottish Government 2019; National Assembly for Wales 2019; Greenland and Coupland 2014). If initial plans dont work out due to financing, there are other things to consider which may help your budget: Goods and services associated with the renovation of empty residential properties, which have been empty for two years or more, may qualify for a reduced rate VAT of 5%. Financial measures such as a Council Tax premium, VAT discount, empty home loans and grant funding were also reported as effective interventions to help bring empty homes back into use. However, they also point out that LAs must have discretion to work with genuinely 'stuck' owners who want to resolve the problem with their empty property but are unable to act due to a range of legitimate personal circumstances, such as long term illness or complex bereavement, or structural issues around inability to secure tenants in areas of economic decline (Davies 2014). It needed to be modernised and cleared of belongings, and the family was struggling to juggle life pressures with the mammoth task of dealing with the property. letting it out living in it yourself selling If you would like more information on what you could do with your empty property and the help available, please contact the Housing Strategy Team. Indeed, the English Empty Homes Loan Fund initiative, announced in 2013 to provide loans to empty property owners as a joint project between an empty homes charity, building society and participating LAs was abolished a year later due to low uptake (Wilson et al 2020). This is applied by the VAT registered contractor. The benefits of registered social landlords, community groups and other private bodies bringing empty homes back into use are being demonstrated on a small scale in Scotland and we would like to see more of this nationally. That includes the cost of council tax, minimal security and lost potential rental. The 25 million Rural Housing Fund and the new 5 million Islands Housing Fund will run from 2016-17 to 2021. To bring an empty property past into use where the intention the to rent the anwesen, aforementioned grant is caps at 75% of eligible plant for adenine greatest about 25k per property. Own Place re-invested funds from the sales into new and existing affordable housing stock and the initiative was subsequently adopted by several other English LAs (Carnuccio 2014). Remote and rural areas have the highest percentage of vacant homes, with around 3.4% of properties in the Western Isles long-term empty, compared to 1.5% across Scotland. To only allow the cookies that make the site work, click 'Use essential cookies only.' A number of good practice examples drawn from the literature describe partnership initiatives between LAs, community action and third sector groups, RSLs and private developers. Two English case studies show different ways this can be achieved. The longer it stays unoccupied, the more of a financial drain it might become. (These funds will now continue beyond March 2021, these pages will be updated shortly.) There are also examples of schemes for tackling obsolete empty social housing stock while assisting first time buyers. Fresh plan hatched to help fill empty homes - BBC Shelter Scotland is also a good source of information for owners of empty homes. The Empty Homes Officer will alert both parties when there is a 'match' between an empty home for sale and a buyer's requirements. reduce costs; benefit . However, the study pointed to insufficient understanding of the available schemes amongst LAs, homeowners and buyers. This model may be particularly instructive in the current context of reduced bank lending and rising interest rates. Empty Homes Officers are dedicated members of Council staff who are responsible for the work of bringing empty homes back in to use. In another example of a larger scale project taking place in the west of Scotland, SEHP worked in partnership with social enterprise letting agency Homes for Good, renovating empty homes to let to people on low incomes and experiencing homelessness, as an approach to provide more affordable private rental sector housing. Most recently, 23,397 displaced people from Ukraine have arrived in the UK with a Scottish sponsor (Scottish Government or individual) as at 14 February 2023 due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Support us to campaign for change. These organisations included a housing association, a social housing provider, a housing trust, and a local Council. The service offered between two and 30 hours of support and by the end of the first year, 26 out of 137 homes were brought back into use. In France, the 2013 Vacant Housing Tax on private properties left vacant for over a year ran at 12.5% of rental value for the first tax year rising to 25% for each following year and, in Ireland, since 2017 there is an annual premium of 3% of the market value of the empty property or site (Housing Agency Ireland 2016). Every Home Matters | Scottish Empty Homes Partnership 5 March 2012. If you experience any problems with the site, please let us know at website@argyll-bute.gov.uk. The study described a range of information that LAs can offer to empty home owners, including: Engaging with local housing associations to regenerate empty homes was also reported in two studies (Carnuccio 2014; Tanner 2013). Following discussion with the Empty Homes Officer if your property is identified as being suitable, you will be asked to complete a pre-application form. For properties that have been empty for 10 years or more, you can reclaim VAT from HMRC at the end of the project if you or a close family member plan to live in the property. Difficulty with communal repairs Before: Owners who can't be contacted can make it difficult to carry out communal repairs. Some councils in the UK offer schemes which incentivise buyers seeking an affordable home to acquire empty properties at a lower cost with a view to subsequently carrying out repairs. Open Market Shared Equity (OMSE) Scheme. Impact Report 2022 | Scottish Empty Homes Partnership Executive Summary This impact report by the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP) covers the period 2021-22. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Argyll and Bute Council has discretionary empty homes grant and loans to support owners of long-term empty properties to bring homes back into use as affordable housing. The role of Empty Homes Officers (EHOs) has rapidly expanded across Scotland since the position was introduced. Challenges identified within the empty homes literature, 6. The eligibility timeframes for loan, grant and VAT reduction schemes are variable. Grants and loans - More homes - gov.scot - The Scottish Government
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