More than two in five Scots want more action on empty homes, survey finds

More than two in five Scots think their local authority should be doing more to tackle the issue of empty homes, a new survey has found.

The research, commissioned by the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP), found that just 10% of adults in Scotland believe their council is doing enough on the issue.

Meanwhile, 43% thought they were doing too little to bring Scotland’s approximately 46,000 empty homes back into use.

Among renters the number was even higher, with 52% of respondents who currently rent their own home saying their local authority should be doing more.

Tahmina Nizam, national manager for the SEHP, said some progress was being made on reducing the number of empty homes, but that local authorities need to go further.

“In councils across the country, empty homes officers are working hard to bring vacant properties back into use,” she said.

“That work is proving successful, 1,875 homes were brought back into use last year, but this research shows there is an appetite among the public for local authorities to press on and do more to address this issue.

“In the context of a housing emergency that shouldn’t be surprising, work to bring empty homes back into use has never been more vital.”

According to the latest Scottish Government figures, more than 43,500 homes in Scotland have been empty for more than six months – of which more than 31,500 (73%) have been empty for more than a year.

Ms Nizam went on: “The increased housing investment in the Scottish Government’s budget will be welcomed across the sector, but no one is under any illusions about the scale of the challenge posed by the housing emergency.

“Empty homes continue to have a significant role to play in our collective response to the housing emergency, offering a cost-effective, quick and environmentally friendly way to drive up the supply of much-needed homes.”

The study, which surveyed 1,011 adults in Scotland, comes ahead of the annual Scottish Empty Homes conference in Glasgow later this month.

The conference aims to bring the housing sector together to share knowledge and insight on tackling empty homes.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Tackling the housing emergency remains an urgent priority for the Scottish Government and we are supporting local authorities to quickly identify properties and bring them back into use.

“Our £3.7m investment has so far brought almost 11,000 privately owned homes back into use since 2010 and we will invest a further £2m next year to help councils unlock barriers and develop a targeted approach to empty homes.

“We have a strong track record in affordable housing having supported the delivery of 135,000 affordable homes since 2007.

“That’s 47% more per head of population than England and 73% more than Wales.”