Aberdeen city council urged to fill more than 1,800 empty homes amid housing emergency

Calls have been made for Aberdeen City Council to urgently fill more than 1,800 empty homes by unions and organisations.

The region has significantly more empty properties than the rest of Scotland, with the number of vacant homes increasing by 500 over the last year.

Housing campaigners delivered an open letter to the local authority, which is also considering a 12% rise in the rent of council-owned homes, on Friday, to urgently address the housing crisis in the city.

It has been over a year since a housing emergency was declared in Aberdeen, but campaigners say enough isn’t being done to address the issue.

Earlier this year, the housing regulator said Aberdeen’s homeless services were at a “heightened risk of systemic failure”.

Living Rent member Esme Houston told STV News: “Rent prices have been very quickly rising over the last few years.

“We’ve seen a growing homelessness crisis, a cost of living crisis and in the middle of all of this, landlords and the council are trying to leech as much money out of the poorest people in the city as they can.”

Michael Arthur is one of the many tenants across the city concerned about the impact such an increase could have on those already struggling to make ends meet.

He told STV News: “It’s indicative of the larger problem that seems to be going on.

“You’ve got the underlying cost of energy as well, and the cost of food has gone up.”

A spokesperson from Aberdeen City Council says any increases would be to ensure good quality services and for improvements and upgrades to homes.