The City of Edinburgh Council has made strong progress over the past year in bringing empty homes back into use, as councillors approved a new five-year Empty Homes Strategy.
In the last year, 81 privately owned empty properties have been brought back into use bringing the total since 2023 to 149.
Edinburgh declared a housing emergency in November 2023 in response to challenges including rising homelessness, an acute shortage of social housing and growing pressure on temporary accommodation.
Bringing empty homes back into use is a key action within the Council’s Housing Emergency Action Plan, with a focus on supporting homeless households.
Following the recruitment of two additional Empty Homes Officers and a Housing Development Officer the team has increased efforts to identify properties earlier, work directly with owners and secure quicker routes to bring homes back into use.
Progress includes offering advice to owners of properties that have been empty for close to twelve months, participating in the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership matchmaker scheme and developing proposals for a new grant scheme linked to the Council’s Private Sector Leasing programme that would help owners make empty homes lettable, which would increase the supply of temporary accommodation available in the city.
Councillors approved the Empty Homes Strategy and Annual Report at today’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee which sets out how the Council will accelerate work over the next five years. The strategy focuses on earlier identification of empty homes, targeted support for owners and the use of legal powers where appropriate to bring homes back into use.
Cllr Tim Pogson, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said:
We’re committed to addressing the issue of empty homes across the city, to make sure that more properties are brought back into use and contribute to our housing stock.
There are a variety of reasons why properties become empty, from legal and financial issues to personal circumstances and market dynamics. Our Empty Homes Team focuses on advising owners about their options, including selling their property or becoming a private landlord, helping to make more homes available to buyers and renters.
With 149 homes made available since 2023 it’s great that people and families now have homes they would otherwise not have had, but there is still much more to do. We estimate there are over 3,000 empty homes in the city, with around 2,500 empty for more than twelve months. That is why we will continue to build on what has already been a very successful approach and encourage owners of empty homes to contact the Council for support to bring their property back into use.