Project aims to bring empty homes back into use across Highland

Three areas in the Highlands are to pilot an initiative by The Highland Council to bring empty properties back into affordable housing use.

The Council’s Housing and Property Service is to initially target the Black Isle, Inverness Central and Nairn, as pilots which together provide a mix of rural and urban locations.

A Housing Development Assistant is to be engaged, initially for one year, to create a database of empty properties and develop and co-ordinate action.
The Council is to match a £400,000 grant from the  Scottish Government’s Empty Homes Loan Fund with £400,000 from its Private Sector Housing Grant to promote the initiative.

A condition of the Scottish Government grant is that the property being brought back into use  is used as affordable housing for a minimum of five years. Affordable housing is defined as housing for social rent, intermediate rent (between market rent and social rent) or shared equity.  Funding can be used to assist owners to bring their property up to a suitable standard or assist the Council or a partner organisation to purchase properties and bring them up to a suitable standard.

It is proposed that subsidy will be available as grant and loan or a combination of both. The level of grant will be linked to the period that the property will be available for affordable rent  ie 25% for five years of affordable rent; 50% for 10 years and 75% for 15 years.

Loans will be available on the same basis, with a maximum loan of £10,000 for five years of affordable rent; £15,000 for 10 years; and £20,000 for 15 years.  In all cases, loans will be secured against the property and repayable in the event of a breach of agreed conditions or on sale of the property.

Councillor Dave Fallows, Chair of the Finance Housing and Resources Committee, welcomed the move.  He said: “This is another first class initiative from our Housing and Property Service.  Empty homes are becoming a key issue due to the housing shortage, the rising cost of finding a home and the disrepair, neighbourhood blight and anti-social behaviour issues often stemming from long term empty properties.  Bringing empty properties back into use will increase affordable housing and improve the condition of properties across the Highlands.”