Information for veterans

If you have just left or are about to leave the armed forces and you want to know more about the housing options available to you in South Lanarkshire, we can help.

Renting from the council or a housing association

You can apply for social rented housing with the council or any of the participating housing associations via Homeoptions.

As an HM Forces applicant, the HomeFinder landlords will consider you to have the highest priority for housing, provided that you have completed a minimum of three years service or have been injured in action or have been discharged on medical grounds, and:

To be awarded priority for housing as an HM Forces applicant, you must apply to any of the HomeFinder landlords, up to six months before and up to six months following your date of discharge.

There are also a number of Housing Associations, not part of HomeFinder, but which have properties for rent across South Lanarkshire. Contact details and links to the websites of both HomeFinder and non HomeFinder landlords can be found on the housing associations page. If you wish to apply for housing with a non HomeFinder landlord, you will need to fill out a separate application form which you can get by contacting the landlord you are interested in

Renting from a private landlord

As there is a significant demand for social rented housing, you may wish to consider renting a property from a private landlord. All private landlords who let properties in Scotland must be or have applied to be registered in the national Register of Landlords.

Most private landlords will request a deposit and may also ask for a tenancy or personal reference before they agree to rent you a property. If you are at risk of homelessness, and you can rent from a private landlord, you may be able to secure a deposit through the rent deposit scheme.

Private landlords often advertise properties through Estate Agents or in local papers.

Other housing associations

There are several other housing organisations that provide housing specifically for ex-servicemen and women. For further information, go to Housing Organisations | Veterans Scotland

Buying a home

Depending on your circumstances, you may wish to consider buying a home in the open market.

If you are a first time buyer you may be able to buy a property through a Government supported scheme called Low cost Initiative for First Time Buyers (LIFT), which aims to help people on low to moderate incomes buy a home.

Homelessness

We work with a range of partners to help prevent and alleviate homelessness. If you have left the armed forces and you have either nowhere to stay or are at risk of losing your accommodation, please contact us for advice. You may be able to access the rent deposit scheme if you are at risk of homelessness

Our homelessness services liaise with and make referrals to specialist support services, including, Scottish Veterans Housing Association, Houses for Heroes and Armed Services Advice Project.

Scottish Housing Guide

You may also be interested in reading 'A Scottish housing guide for those leaving the armed forces and ex-service personnel'.

The guide aims to help those who have served in the armed forces understand their housing options and provides further information and sources of advice and assistance.