Neglected Ibrox house to be bought by council for homeless family

A neglected house in Ibrox, which has lay empty for seven years, is set to be bought by the council for use by a homeless family.

Officials at Glasgow City Council have said a five-bedroom property at Ibrox Terrace is in “a state of serious disrepair” and a “blight” on the area.

They intend to buy the house through a compulsory purchase order (CPO) and then hand it over to Linthouse Housing Association to run.

A council report states that it has been empty since October 2017, when the owner passed away, and their children have not taken the “necessary steps” to inherit the home.

There is demand for larger homes to house homeless families and people currently living in temporary accommodation.

Council officials said once the property has been “brought up to standard” it will be “allocated to a larger family household who are homeless or currently living in unsuitable temporary accommodation”.

The mid-terraced house was identified on the council tax register as a long-term empty home, last used in 2017.

“From this time the property has been neglected and allowed to deteriorate and is now deemed to be in a state of serious disrepair impacting negatively on the neighbouring properties and causing environmental blight,” the council report adds.

Linthouse Housing Association has been lined up to carry out repairs and then bring the property back into use as social housing.

During the compulsory purchase process, owners have the opportunity to sell their houses voluntarily and seek compensation for the loss of their property.

Glasgow declared a housing emergency in November last year due to rising homelessness. Last week, national figures showed a record number of people in Scotland living in temporary accommodation, with 16,300 households as of March this year.

Despite the housing crisis, the city’s affordable homes targets have been reduced after a Scottish Government budget cut. The city had expected to receive around £104m for affordable housing, but instead got £78.7m — a 24% reduction.

However, the council has been given an extra £11.5m to acquire homes in 2024/25. This could provide an additional 83 properties.

The report states: “The council has recently received funding for acquisitions from the Scottish Government, which has enabled this CPO to be taken forward.

“Any costs which will require to be met as part of this process, including compensation, will be funded from the affordable housing supply programme budget.”

Councillors on the city’s contracts and property committee will be asked to approve progressing with the CPO at a meeting on Thursday (October 10).