Opinion

Last week the Scottish Government announced a £10 million Tenant Hardship Loan Fund, available from November. But, asks Deborah Hay, will it help people under pressure and struggling to pay their rent? There was a lot to welcome in last week’s Scottish Programme for Government 2020/21: a

The Scottish Government must apply the same focus in driving a vibrant green recovery as it is doing to address the coronavirus pandemic, says Elizabeth Leighton.

Interim director Nicola Thom shares Hunters Hall Housing Co-operative’s experience of hosting its AGM, as well as an additional SGM, via Zoom. Like most RSLs, Hunters Hall Housing Co-op (HHHP) considered the challenge of hosting its AGM remotely in this bizarre new world that we find ourselves

Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) chief executive Sally Thomas outlines the organisation's reaction to this week's Programme for Government. Tuesday’s Programme for Government, announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, contained some welcome announcements for the social hou

Sarah Stewart from Burness Paull considers the Scottish Government's Heat Networks Bill and its impact on the housing and heating industries. District heating, also known as a heat network, is a distribution system of insulated pipes that takes heat from a central source and delivers it to a number

Ypeople CEO Janet Haugh discusses meeting the challenges of this year, and how the charity plans to keep the support of those who need it most as its priority. There’s a classic song from the Sixties called ‘You Don’t Miss Your Water (Till Your Well Runs Dry)’ which beautiful

A new report from the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF) has highlighted the crucial local role played by Community Controlled Housing Associations (CCHAs) during the coronavirus health crisis, says Colleen Rowan. Throughout the pandemic crisis and subse

Road Bonds are well-intentioned and have a purpose, but their levels are now starting to pose a threat to the place of construction SMEs in the recovery, argues Scott Macphail. Every party in every commercial transaction has a perfect right to take reasonable precautions against risk, but for normal

CIH Scotland national director Callum Chomczuk on the potential impact of the Single Market legislation on the housing sector. Earlier this month saw the UK government close their consultation on their Internal Market Bill. A piece of legislation most of the housing sector may understandably think w

LAR Housing Trust chief executive Ann Leslie gives her thoughts on the ongoing debate surrounding evictions. Nobody will argue that protecting vulnerable tenants is the wrong thing to do. As a matter of course we, along with the vast majority of landlords in both the social and private sectors, woul

The Housing First Scotland Pathfinder programme launched officially in April 2019 in Aberdeen/shire, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling after a ramping-up period from August 2018, two years ago this week, when the first tenants moved into properties in Glasgow allocated to the fledgeling Pathfi

The Housing First Scotland Pathfinder programme launched officially in April 2019 in Aberdeen/shire, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling. This was following a ramping-up period that began in August 2018, exactly two years ago this week, when the first tenants moved into properties in Glasgow all

A blanket ban on evictions makes no provision for anti-social tenants and those who choose not to pay their rent, says David Bookbinder. Extending the timescale for giving longer notice periods in arrears and anti-social behaviour cases is a kick in the stomach for the vast majority of tenants

John Toms on the implications for city centres if the transition of properties from commercial to residential becomes commonplace.

Deborah Hay, Scotland policy officer for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, explains why JRF have joined the Everyone Home Collective. We all need a warm, decent and affordable home: it’s the foundation on which all other areas of our life depend, and it has been such a critical part of the respo