Housing Options Guide

Renovating Empty Private Properties for Renting Out

Introduction

It is important – both for owners of empty properties in Scotland and people in housing need who might be interested in renting a particular empty house, to realise that there are a couple of grant options available.

These grants are aimed at encouraging private landlords to release their empty houses so that they can be renovated and let out to affordable rents to local people.

Lead Tenancies Scheme

The Lead tenancies Scheme was launched by Scottish Homes in 1994 and is designed to bring suitable empty properties back in to good condition and residential use.

Lead tenancies are principally designed to allow non priority homeless people access to a long term let. The scheme offers what can be a sizeable renovation grant and works like this :-

A private landlord lets the property to a registered housing association (the “lead tenant”).
If the house or flat needs improvement work then the lead tenant, the housing association, can get a Scottish Homes’ grant of up to £22,000 to improve the property and bring it back into residential use. The amount of grant awarded depends on how many years the landlord is willing to lease the property to the housing association. The grant is £1,100 per year to the owner for every year the property is leased up to a maximum of 20 years.
The housing association then sub-lets the renovated house or flat to an applicant on their waiting list on a Short Assured Tenancy of 6 months at an affordable cost. The tenancy can be renewed if the tenant carries out their role as a tenant satisfactorily.
The housing association remains legally responsible for the regular payment of rent to the property owner, the proper management and maintenance of the house and it’s return in good order at the lease expiry
date.
Each project is appraised by Communities Scotland on its own merits

A comprehensive information pack is available from:

Communities Scotland
52/66 Newmarket Street
AYR
KA7 1LR
Tel: 01292 611810
Fax: 01292 269095

Website :- www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk
Tel:- 0131 313 0044
Fax:- 0131 337 0578