Private Landlord Forum

As noted in previous newsletters, an empty property is any privately owned home which has been empty for six months or more. Owning an empty property is an expensive and troublesome responsibility, with increased council tax charges, security and maintenance costs, risk of vandalism and complaints from neighbours. It is estimated that the total cost of leaving a property empty is between £8,638 and £10,438 per year. The Empty Homes Value Tool will provide more information on this. Empty properties can also have negative consequences for the local area including the possible reduction in value of neighbouring properties.

Harnessing this resource provides a cost-effective way to help address the national housing shortage and meet local needs. The average cost to return an empty home to a habitable state is estimated to cost between £6,000 and £12,000. Further information can be found on the World Habitat website. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, most people are spending more time at home and looking for properties which provide a place to both relax and work from. As noted elsewhere in this newsletter, the housing market is especially buoyant at the moment, making it an ideal time for owners of empty properties to sell these on or to bring them to the rental market.

Empty homes service

South Lanarkshire Council have recently recruited a dedicated Empty Homes Officer to help support owners to bring properties back into use. Help and advice is available on a range of topics including:

• VAT discounts available for renovation works to empty properties
• Finding tenants through the Council’s Housing Options Team and other services
• Financial incentives available for energy efficiency works
• Selling a property through an estate agent or via auction.

The service is also planning to explore development of other initiatives. This includes a proposal to evaluate the feasibility of a Matchmaker Scheme which would link empty property owners with purchasers looking to buy properties. Updates on this proposal will be published on the Council’s website.

Convinced of the benefits?

If you are the owner of an empty property and would like help to explore the options available to you to bring the property back into use, please see our page on Empty homes.

Landlord Accreditation Scotland (LAS) continue to provide on-line training and accreditation for private landlords based on Scottish legislation. Accreditation, along with regular attendance at webinars, provides landlords with knowledge on key issues and how to implement change when required. Becoming accredited with LAS is free for landlords and allows you to take advantage of the best prices for the webinars.

The number of attendees on the webinars is limited to provide the best training experience possible in the time given. The webinars last for one hour and are live. The format is optimized to allow you to get the absolute most out of the session providing the opportunities for questions to be answered at the end.

The range of webinars provided by LAS cover both legislation and best practice in the Scottish private rented sector.  It can be very difficult to keep track of the changes to legislation which affect the responsibilities as landlords and the webinars provided by LAS ensure that landlords are updated in line with the ever-changing legislation. 

Not sure if a webinar is for you? Call the LAS office and they will be happy to talk you through the process.

How to Book: Booking can be made using the links above or by visiting the LAS website.

For further information on accreditation, please call 0131 553 2211 or email: info@landlordaccreditationscotland.com

Please note invitations to attend the forum are sent by email by our Landlord Registration Team to all registered landlords. Please make sure we have your correct email address. Update your details at www.landlordregistrationscotland.gov.uk or by emailing LandlordRegistrationTeam@southlanarkshire.gov.uk.

Private landlords are invited to apply for tenant grant funding to help with the cost of rent if their tenants are experiencing hardship as a result of COVID-19 pandemic.

• The Scottish Government
• First Tier Tribunal (Property Chambers)
• The Energy Saving Trust (Energy saving measures and grants)
• Health and Safety Executive (Gas safety)
• Domestic Abuse 
• Coronavirus advice
• Private Landlord Accreditation Scheme