An extra £700,000 is being allocated to help homeowners fund the repairs needed to bring empty homes back into use, the Scottish Government has announced.
The money will be split across 10 councils and can be used to set up or extend grant schemes for owners. The homes will be used as affordable housing or temporary accommodation.
It takes the Government's investment in empty homes this year to £2m. Social justice and housing secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville announced the funding at the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership's conference in Glasgow.
She said it ‘may help councils to move households from temporary into settled permanent accommodation’, adding that long stays can affect children's wellbeing and stability.
A Partnership report found a record 2,285 empty homes were returned to use in 2025-26. More than 15,000 have been brought back since 2010.
National manager Tahmina Nizam said the funding would ‘be welcomed throughout the sector’.
