Edinburgh council housing freeze could be lifted in October

Edinburgh’s council housing freeze could be lifted in October, according to papers going before next week’s housing committee meeting.

In a report before councillors, officers state efforts to reduce reliance on ‘unsuitable’ temporary accommodation have advanced to a point where the freeze is no longer needed.

If councillors back the officers’ position in the report at Tuesday’s meeting, the freeze would end on October 3.

Regular processes for letting council properties would then resume on October 4.

The report states the freeze was ‘particularly effective’ while the council worked to bring more housing online.

But it added that continuing the suspension would have ‘limited impact’ going forward due to the number of void council properties being reduced.

The freeze began in April last year as part of an effort to move homeless households out of unlicensed HMOs, a policy that began during the pandemic.

Councillors have extended the end date of the freeze multiple times, with it currently being authorised until March 31 of next year.

Edinburgh Council has faced competing legal difficulties with both its use of unlicensed HMOs and its struggles to house everyone presenting to it as homeless.

According to the report, recent months have seen failure to accommodate rates decreasing, with more housing set to come online in the coming months.

It adds that the council will seek to fully eliminate use of unsuitable accommodation by 2027/28.

Councillors will consider the report at the next meeting of the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work committee on Tuesday, August 25.