Opinion

The current vogue for open-plan living has been with us for a while and shows no sign of diminishing through familiarity. Queensberry Properties’ sales and marketing director, Hazel Davies, explores the background to what has become a cornerstone in residential property design. In 1999, the ve

Harper Macleod’s senior associate Kelly Fraser highlights some of the key proposed provisions in the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill ahead of its next reading in June. The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill was introduced on 20 May 2020 and is currently making its way through Pa

CaCHE director, Prof Ken Gibb, introduces a major 15-month multi-strand research project on UK housing policies and the COVID-19 crisis. The UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE), like everyone else, has been both affected by the pandemic and lockdown directly in changing how we

RICS head of UK government relations and city strategy Hew Edgar urges the Scottish Government to raise more awareness of the six-phase return plan for construction and issue clearer guidance with regard to the housing market. The Scottish Government should be commended for its clear messaging on he

SFHA chief executive Sally Thomas gives her account of the amendments lodged by Andy Wightman MSP this week and the unintended impact they could have had on social landlords. This week saw the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Bill enter its final stages in the Scottish Parliament. This was the second b

Martin Armstrong, chief executive of Wheatley Group, outlines what the new norm for will look like in the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis. The new norm! In the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis, what will that really mean, in personal, business and societal terms?

As part of yesterday’s Everyone Home joint plan to permanently end rough sleeping and destitution in Scotland as the country emerges from the pandemic, FourSquare chief executive Jane Devine said the sector needs to capitalise on the steps taken so far with giant leaps. I am relatively new to

Adam McVey, leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, outlines how people in the city can work together to support anyone facing homelessness. Back in late March, when it was announced that the country would be entering lockdown measures, we set about creating a dedicated team to coordinate our suppo

The recent decision of the Inner House in Proven Properties (Scotland) Limited, reported in Scottish Housing News on May 15, raises questions about the effectiveness, or at least the scope, of the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011, writes Tom Marshall. Briefly, the case concerned a block of 15 fl

Today, Thursday 21 May, 19 organisations that care about homelessness in Scotland will present a plan to the Scottish Government setting out what they believe needs to be done to end rough sleeping and tackle homelessness in Scotland. Martin Gavin, Homeless Network Scotland’s Head of External

This outbreak has shown how crucial it is to tackle homelessness. As discussions and speculation continue around just how we will move out of lockdown, those experiencing homelessness in Scotland must be at the centre of this thinking.

People require homes, somewhere in which they feel secure and safe. It is not hard to grasp that not all accommodation is suitable to be called ‘home’.   It is not the absence of housing stock so much as the quality of that stock, its location, and environment that is so crucial whe

We tell it like it is as Glasgow Night Shelter; there isn’t enough accommodation for destitute asylum seekers and what there is, isn’t good enough. And we say that because for the past 10 years we have been providing not-really-good-enough accommodation (a mattress on a hall floor, a bun

Briar Homes marketing manager Ainslie McCrone on managing buyer interest as the housebuilding sector awaits the easing of lockdown restrictions. There are certain milestones in life that are set in, well, stone, and serve as evidence of our British-ness – or Scottish-ness for that matter.

CIH Scotland national director Callum Chomczuk and John Blackwood, chief executive of the Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL), argue that further support is required for private landlords, who have a significant role to play in the housing sector’s response to coronavirus. Last month the S