Chris McGinn, commercial manager at PfH Scotland, believes Scottish social landlords need to get back to basics when it comes to reducing the carbon footprint of their homes. More than ever, improving the thermal performance of social homes in Scotland feels like an uphill battle.

Jenny Davies, associate director at Scottish Futures Trust, details the issues faced by key workers struggling to find affordable places to live and highlights some example solutions from around the country. Key workers are an integral part of our communities – from caring for our grandparents

Paul Hilton, the CEO of property portal ESPC, explains why homeowners (whether owner-occupiers or landlords) need more support from the Scottish Government’s upcoming Heat in Buildings Bill, for which ESPC was recently part of the consultation. We are all very aware of the changes being propos

Jimmy Black cycled to Stornoway to meet Calum (Barney) MacKay, chair of TPAS Scotland and long-standing tenant activist. Barney is a trade unionist, and that explains a lot. Trades unions teach their active members how to do many useful things, including basic skills, like how to run a meeting or th

Jimmy Black meets the energetic Evie Copland, multi-award-winner and housing evangelist. “The biggest problem is … how do I change the world with this?” Evie Copland is finishing her Master's in Housing Studies, and she has been a distinguished student. In 2021 she won the Malcolm

Jimmy Black meets Bill Banks, retiring CEO of the multi award-winning Kingdom Group. Bill Banks looks relaxed, calm and entirely at home in his relatively modest office at Kingdom Housing Association. He’s a man at the height of his powers with a very solid track record of achievement. But Bil

Below is a full transcript of episode 53 of the Scottish Housing News Podcast titled ‘Shawfair and clean heating networks with Eoghan Maguire’. Listen to the episode here.

“If we have a choice between a tenant having their home flooded or having to put on an extra jumper, which would you recommend?” For anyone who has encountered architect Fionn Stevenson over her career, her answer to this question will be obvious. It forms part of her claim that a blanke

Below is a full transcript of episode 52 of the Scottish Housing News Podcast titled 'Why ‘fabric-first’ may be the wrong approach for retrofitting with Fionn Stevenson'. Listen to the episode here.

Almost a year since Scotland appointed its first dedicated housing minister, three councils have declared housing emergencies due to mounting pressures in their local housing systems and dozens of others could be set to follow. Now housing bodies across Scotland are making a concerted effort to say

Jimmy Black considers whether the social housing sector and the Scottish Government are effectively measuring the carbon cost of home improvements.

Jimmy Black is looking for credible solutions to Scotland's housing emergency and wants SHN readers to help.

After recording an episode of the Scottish Housing News Podcast on the subject of the proposed rent adjudication scheme for the private rented sector, Jimmy Black shares his own experiences.

Jimmy Black and Kieran Findlay spent 45 minutes of the SHN podcast discussing just about everything important in Scottish housing with the hugely experienced Craig Stirrat, Group CEO of Grampian Housing Association. Jimmy picks out the bits he found most fascinating... Council house stock transfer?

In the latest article in the ongoing Our Housing Heritage series, Scottish Housing News discusses the Glasgow Rent Strikes of 1915. In the absence of social housing, families across the UK in 1915 were at the mercy of private landlords who could hike rents and evict tenants at will with little restr

The Springburn office of ng homes is named after Ned Donaldson. But who was Ned Donaldson? Kieran Findlay recalls the contribution of the activist and the post-war battle to stop the privatisation of council housing at Merrylee. It was a cold sleety December day in 1951. Slum landlordism and sublett

Duncan Smith, who works in the social housing sector, has contributed this piece as part of his quest for more information about housing architect George Gibson. Several years ago, just after starting my current job, I undertook some research on the properties we were refurbishing at the time. I fou

Next month marks the centenary of Scotland’s first council housing estate, the Logie Estate in Dundee. Lauren Brown reports.

Kingdom Housing Association’s Tenancy Sustainment Team has delivered £50,000 worth of direct financial support to customers with fuel debts, providing a financial lifeline during the cost of living crisis.

Families could save up to £200 on yearly energy bills with some helpful hints on how to bring costs down as the school spring break begins, according to charity Children 1st. Anxious parents facing higher energy costs over the school break have been encouraged to seek advice and support from C

Duncan Smith, head of energy & sustainability at River Clyde Homes, details a pilot project being undertaken which aims to transition homes from fossil fuels while reducing fuel poverty.

New figures show that people across Scotland are increasingly looking to make energy efficiency upgrades to their homes to reduce their energy bills and carbon emissions, but many are still unsure about how to do it.

Families are increasingly benefiting from the positive impact of Housing First Scotland, figures highlighted in a new report suggest.

National homelessness charity Bethany Christian Trust has been awarded the Outstanding Organisation ‘Five Star’ Award by the European Foundation for Quality Management. The charity was presented with the prestigious five-star Recognised by EFQM award by the chief executive of EFQM in Edi

Two Scottish charities have been recognised by the UK’s leading dog welfare organisation for going above and beyond to help keep people experiencing homelessness and their dogs together.

People in Scotland overwhelmingly recognise that delivering more social housing is the best way to tackle homelessness, according to new research from Shelter Scotland.

Propertymark has called for the UK Government to bring parity between the social and private rented sectors in England regarding qualification requirements to work in either sector.

Fears that stricter regulations will reduce the supply of rental properties are overblown, according to new research from the Social Market Foundation (SMF) think tank.

Edinburgh-based estate agent Simpson & Marwick has bolstered its East Lothian operation by appointing Hannah Graham as area director. Mrs Graham steps up from her position as associate director, her promotion coming as part of a six-figure investment by the firm in its North Berwick office.

Property firm Lomond Group has continued its expansion in Scotland with the acquisition of Tay Letting. The firm, which has offices in Glasgow, Dundee, and Edinburgh, will become part of the DJ Alexander brand and substantially increase the firm’s presence in Glasgow, Dundee and the wider

More than £90 million will be allocated to local authorities in 2024-25 to support eligible households at risk of hardship after the Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) scheme came under full Scottish Government control from 1 April 2024.

Scottish Government spending on social security could deliver a £300 million boost to Scotland’s economy over the short term, according to new analysis. Figures published by chief economist Gary Gillespie also show that long-term investment in labour market and social security policies c

More than £44 million has been paid to help thousands of people with the cost of a funeral via a Scottish Government benefit, according to latest figures.

Just 8.5% of private rental homes are likely to be affordable to Universal Credit claimants, despite increases to the amount of housing benefit they can access from next month. Local Housing Allowance will increase from 1 April for the first time since April 2020. Yet Savills research has found the