Opinion

By James Battye at Shelter Scotland This week National Registers of Scotland released their updated household estimates for 2015. They show that the number of Scottish households has grown by 18,200 in the past year. In 2014, there were 2.42 million households in Scotland, an increase of around 169,

The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership recently released its annual report for the financial year just passed. There are a few headlines form the report that we are particularly excited about, writes Kristen Hubert at Shelter Scotland. These are all great successes that show improvements on where we w

Andrew Milne Edinburgh's tenements are a vital part of a vibrant city. Andrew Milne asks isn't it time we started looking after them?

CIH Scotland is considering how the Scotland Bill can be used to reflect Scottish public spending priorities, writes Annie Mauger, director of CIH’s national business units.

Feline Good in Fernhill Children living in Fernhill have created a "spect-CAT-ular" graffiti art mural with help from professional art group Art Pistol.

Legislative changes that prevent the exploitation of tenants are a no-brainer, explains Neil McInnes, director of Umega Lettings. For almost ten years, I’ve been a letting agent and property manager in Edinburgh. During this time, I’ve been responsible for thousands of professional and student t

Links St, Kirkcaldy The steel sculpture was commissioned through Andy Scott and is based on the history of Kirkcaldy. The design is inspired by the Links Market and two of Kirkcaldy’s famous sons, Architect Robert Adam and Sir Sandford Fleming who was a major pioneer of Canada’s railways, invent

Richard Baker MSP It’s vital that Scottish Labour goes into next year’s Holyrood elections with a bold and ambitious manifesto, writes Richard Baker MSP.

John Alexander Fresh thinking, a change in attitude and a frank discussion. This is what is required if we are to seriously change the way in which local authorities deal with the travelling community and the associated public outcry, Councillor John Alexander tells Scottish Housing News.

By Emma Dore at Shelter Scotland This week the Scottish Government released the annual Homelessness Statistics. In general, the statistics paint the same picture as last year with headline trends staying the same. The numbers of homeless applications and assessments as homeless continue to go down (

Jimmy Black You are looking for your first rented flat, and a landlord says "give me £200 and I'll keep this flat for you. But back out and the money's mine". Would you know this was an illegal premium? If the landlord then said: "Leave the place in good order and I'll give you back a month's rent"

By Jonathan Henson, Savills head of rural in Scotland The Land Reform Bill, published in the Scottish Parliament this week, is a punctuation point in landownership history, with the proposed Bill being a starting point for further reforms. It establishes a Land Commission whose remit is to deliver a

Jim McCormick We need to face up to inequalities, and find solutions, to reduce poverty in a fair way, says Jim McCormick, Scotland adviser at Jospeh Rowentree Foundation.

Andrew Carlin, commercial director, PfH By Andrew Carlin, commercial director of PfH Scotland

Ellie Hutchinson, Private Renting Project Manager, introduces Shelter Scotland’s national private tenants forum. Running in four local areas, and supported by a national online presence, this forum aims to strengthen private tenants’ voices in policy formation. A house is more than bricks and mo