empty homes grant scotland

We will be bring these online as soon as we can. 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 SEHP is funded by the Scottish Government, and hosted by Shelter Scotland, with the remit to encourage private sector long-term empty homes back into use, as social and affordable homes, wherever possible. 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). There may be a good reason why your property is being kept empty or it may have become 'stuck' as an empty home. The National Empty Homes Scheme could see up to 2,000 long-term empty properties brought back into use. Our handy guide gives an overview of HMRC guidelines on eligibility. 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.. Focusing on financing, procurement, supply chain and project management processes, this model involved the CIC making funding applications and securing nominal sum leases. Funding for the owners of individual empty homes is limited, and largely dependent on the local authority area the property is in. On the other hand the evidence suggests that Council Tax levies can be unevenly applied across different LAs depending on outlook and resource. The eligibility timeframes for loan, grant and VAT reduction schemes are variable. Angus Council is launching a 100,000 campaign to turn empty properties into homes that people want to live in. Since 2010, the partnership has brought over 900 homes back into use and encouraged 17 of Scotland's 32 local authorities to appoint dedicated empty homes officers. 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). Evidence scoping review of approaches and interventions to bring empty homes back in to use. The refurbishment of the property must meet planning & building regulations; Work cannot start before the grant is approved. This model may be particularly instructive in the current context of reduced bank lending and rising interest rates. In light of this, the Deputy First Minister for Wales has described EDMOs as 'notoriously problematic' and the South East Wales Empty Property Working Group suggested that enforced sale is their most commonly used tool rather than EDMOs or CPOs, because there are fewer 'hurdles and risks' (National Assembly for Wales 2019). empty homes grant and loans to support owners of long-term empty properties to bring homes back into use as affordable housing9. During the period of this report, we have had 2 new empty homes officers appointed and a further 2 councils restarting an empty homes service by appointing a new officer. Your feedback helps us to improve this website. Seven million pounds in loans were allocated to the owners of empty homes from the National Empty Homes Fund, leveraging a further 12.5 million in funding which was reported as creating 'conditions of affordability' for 2500 homes to be brought back in to use (Grimshaw 2013). One study focusing on England highlighted that providing information and effective signposting may in some cases be sufficient to encourage some owners to bring properties back into use on its own (Tanner 2013). Reasons why a property has remained unoccupied. In order to find out what grant funding is available, please get in touch with your local authority. For empty homes that are actively being marketed for sale or rent, you wont have to pay Council Tax levy. The two schemes available as part of the strategy are Repair and Leasing, consisting of an interest-free loan of up to 40,000 to convert empty homes into social housing, and Buy and Renew funding to purchase empty properties to live in. Well listen to your problem and ask what youd like to happen. This Impact Acceleration Project is about the Legacy of Empty Homes Community Grants Programme (2011-2015). The flowchart above gives a handy guide to when the Council Tax unoccupied premium or levy can be applied. Scotland's second home owners may be stripped of 400 energy grant. Its up to individual local authorities to decide how to apply this levy, although the Scottish Government has issued some guidance on the matter. Their approach has particular relevance for urban centres with pressures on the housing market due to population growth; for context over half of Scotland's LAs are forecast to have population growth to 2028 centred mostly in urban areas across the central belt. Shelter Scotland is also a good source of information for owners of empty homes. There is a 3 tier process to apply for empty homes grant or loan funding: Depending how long your property has been registered empty, renovation or alteration works carried out by a VAT registered trader may be eligible for a reduced VAT rate. Later in the year, John Lewis wants to convert an empty warehouse in Reading into properties. Well always try to get back to you within one working day with the information you need to move towards selling your empty property or bringing it back into use some other way. Were experts at providing advice on how to address some of the most common problems faced by the owners of empty homes. If you have an empty home, you could rent it out to get rental income or sell it and get lump sum from the sale. Of these 15,912 have been empty for anywhere between 6 and 12 months, and 27,584 have been empty for over 12 months. Partnership approaches are usually targeted, not only to address the problem of empty homes, but to integrate empty homes work with approaches to address other priority policy areas. By bringing suitable empty homes back into use, housing need will be reduced and will in turn help to address the housing emergency. Empty home loans and grant funding were also mentioned by several studies in the literature (Ambrose 2019; Tanner 2013). 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. We realise there isnt always an easy fix when it comes to empty home issues, but whatever the situation, we can help assess your options and guide you through the process of letting, renovating or selling your empty property as quickly and easily as possible. Difficulty with communal repairs Before: Owners who can't be contacted can make it difficult to carry out communal repairs. Short term empty and unfurnished homes If your property's unoccupied, your local council may give a discount for a limited amount of time if you can prove: you're in the process of renovating it's for sale or rent A previous owner or occupier's use of the property may affect how much discount you get and for how long. Who are we and what are our key objectives? Having conducted a review to build on knowledge of community-led housing initiatives in England, Mullins and Sacranie (2014) and Mullins (2018) provide an account of an evaluation of the 'Empty Homes Community Grants Programme' (EHCGP) in England. The author argues that this case study illustrates the value of harnessing the power of incoming groups to revitalise a local area, fostering empowerment, community integration and ultimately recovery from population loss through an empty homes initiative which links immigration planning with regeneration. This compares to 851 homes back into use for the previous year and to 1412 in 2019. The grants are made based on the condition of the home, then let through Perth and Kinross Council's Rent Bond Guarantee Scheme at the relevant Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate for a period of at least five years. If you experience any problems with the site, please let us know at [email protected]. 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. Bringing empty homes back in to use: approaches and interventions, In Wales, the Council Tax premium for empty homes will be raised, England the premium is based on the length of time the home has been empty, Scottish Government's Housing to 2040 strategy, Councils and Registered Social Landlords in 2022/23 have been able to apply for, Argyll and Bute Council offer 40% of the cost of the works, Ipswich Council currently offers a First Time Buyers Empty Homes Grant, Liverpool City Council also ran a homes for 1 scheme, Riverside Housing Association's Own Place, Councils in Kent rolled out the No Use Empty initiative, Perth and Kinross council's Empty Homes Initiative, Perth and Kinross Council's Rent Bond Guarantee Scheme, Dumfries and Galloway's Town Centre Living Fund, approved list of construction merchants maintained by, six months is also the timeframe the Scottish Government currently uses, fifty two CPOs were applied for and thirty seven of these were progressed, SEHP worked in partnership with social enterprise letting agency Homes for Good, Aberdeenshire Council provide information and support for a Sweat Equity initiative, dedicated empty homes roles (Empty Homes Officers (, community action and partnership approaches, providing information on options for renting, selling and refurbishment for owners, such as information on financial support and tax rules, making the process to report empty homes as simple and easy as possible through information and streamlining of reporting processes, referring owners to local organisations who are able to provide professional advice. Salford Council's Empty Homes team previously applied a successful approach to maximising the impact of funding initiatives and revenue raising opportunities to become one of the top five best performing councils in England, bringing a reported nearly 3000 vacant properties back into use between 2011-6 and halving the empty homes rate of their total housing stock from 6% to 3% (Malone 2017). . background-color:#002b52; 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. New Supply Shared Equity (NSSE) Scheme. /* FIELDS STYLES */ 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. To assist and encourage refurbishment, a VAT reduction applies on building works undertaken on properties which have been empty for two years or more. Full Council Tax is still payable once any discounts and exemptions have been exhausted. We might be able to give you information straight away, or we might need to do some research and get back to you. Sweat Equity Model - for owners who want to retain ownershipof their property but cant afford repairs and can find a tenant willing to undertake works for low/no rent period, Matchmaker service - Matching those wanting to sell or let empty homes and those wanting to purchase or rent them. The role of Empty Homes Officers (EHOs) has rapidly expanded across Scotland since the position was introduced. Relevant debts mainly arise from LAs undertaking work against statutory notices where the owner failed to undertake the work themselves. This is applied by the VAT registered contractor. Once the empty property had been cleared, it sold quickly on the open market to become a home for someone once again. The plans submitted today will see 428 homes built in West Ealing and 353 in Bromley. 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. Communities Scotland suggested a grant of 77,169 under the REPG scheme, provided the owners undertook to rent the houses . Tanner noted in 2013 that whilst some councils had used EDMOs to good effect, their use was not then widespread with only forty three authorisations recorded between 2006 and 2011. 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. Challenges identified within the empty homes literature, 6. Help to Buy. We are testing innovative approaches to encourage a wider range of stakeholders to be involved in empty homes work. . } However, there is evidence in England that the use of Council Tax premiums is limited, with only around one in four of long-term empty properties subject to the premium (Davies 2014). Thirdly, the support of partners was described as being critical to achieving these outcomes. We want all councils to consider empty homes work in the round and encourage councils to have an integrated empty homes strategy that aligns with their strategic housing investment plan and local housing strategy. 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). The previous section concerning dedicated empty homes roles detailed the importance of awareness raising, advice and relationship management components of this remit. Home Owners' Support Fund (HOSF) - Mortgage to Rent. We recommend that anyone who is seeking to sell their property obtains independent professional valuation and legal advice. The next pages look at the winners and shortlisted nominees at this year's awards. It may not be possible for all LA lawyers to develop expertise specific to empty homes and it was suggested that the limitations on capacity mean this work may not constitute a top legal priority for councils. This use of CPOs was achieved largely through the actions of EHOs working closely with the SEHP and an acquisitions strategy involving partnership with RSLs to bring CPO properties back into use for social rent. 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 a Scottish example based on an information service to drive engagement, Aberdeen City Council Housing Access team offers a 'Property Matchmaker' scheme promoting long term empty homes to potential tenants or buyers through their dedicated empty homes website. 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. 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). There may be family disagreements, for example if your siblings dont want to sell the property. Do not give any personal information because we cannot reply to you directly. Although the tax, loan and grant interventions described in the cases above differ in their specifics, they all share a strategic design intended to contribute to regeneration; increase affordable housing provision; reduce the potential reactive public spend impacts of empty homes on communities; and in some cases to raise revenue for LAs to reinvest. More homes are anticipated with applications being actively progressed through the Fund's due diligence process. This will not only help address housing need and demand but help regenerate and support sustainable communities. Empty homes grants We have a budget to provide owners of long term empty properties a grant to help bring properties up to the Repairing Standard as outlined in the Housing (Scotland) Act. 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). To bring an empty property back into use where. The Tanner study noted that reaching out to local housing organisations can not only provide social benefits such as opportunities for skills and training but a leasing arrangement can also be attractive to owners and councils, where it provides owners with an income in return for allocation rights (Tanner 2013). There are over 250,000 people in need of homes. If so, this effectively means that 200% Council Tax is payable.
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