Fife Council is working with the Scottish Government to fund the purchase of 26 homes where tenants in its area are at risk of losing their homes.

The homes, in Coaltown of Wemyss and Denbeath, are currently owned by Torah Capital Limited and TC CAPS3 Limited.

Eviction proceedings are already underway for tenants in some of these properties.

The move will allow tenants to remain in their homes, said the local authority, which added that they ‘will be added to the council’s housing stock, contributing to longer-term housing supply, and supporting ongoing efforts to meet demand for affordable housing across Fife’.

While welcoming a contribution towards the purchase cost from the Scottish Government, Fife Council leader, Cllr David Ross said, ‘there will still be a significant cost falling on the council both to purchase the properties and to undertake the work to bring them up to the standards we expect’.

He added: ‘Nevertheless, this is the right thing to do. This will end the uncertainty for tenants and help keep this community together.’

Fife Council housing spokesperson, Cllr Judy Hamilton, said that ‘officers have worked through all the challenges, and this proposal allows us to step in at the right time, keep families in their homes and provide them with long-term stability’. 

The Scottish Government’s social justice and housing secretary, Shirley-Anne Somerville, welcomed the action that has been taken, at what has been a ‘very distressing time’ for the residents involved.

She added that the Scottish Government is planning to give tenants a right of first refusal if a landlord chooses to sell a property they are renting.