Opinion

Right There CEO Janet Haugh marks the homelessness charity's 200th anniversary with a look at the charity's journey and today's wider issues of homelessness and the housing crisis. Scotland’s housing crisis is intensifying. Three local authority areas have now declared themselves to be in a ho

Kai Jackson, an associate at tenant engagement expert TPAS, discusses a new study designed to understand the barriers faced by people from ethnic minority backgrounds. The study aims to promote fair and inclusive services, exploring ways to improve the participation of tenants from ethnic minority

On the day that Independent Age launches its new research report on how to improve the lives of older renters, Scotland policy and public affairs manager Debbie Horne writes exclusively for Scottish Housing News about the charity's call for greater protections. Today at Independent Age we launch our

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?

With a consultation now underway about a similar post-Grenfell Building Safety Levy to one introduced to impose a levy on certain new builds in England, Ledingham Chalmers LLP partner David Scott looks at what might happen north of the border. After the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, the UK Gover

Jocelyne Fleming, policy and public affairs officer for the CIOB in Scotland, argues that draft cladding legislation has highlighted Scotland’s wider built environment safety challenge. Everyone deserves a safe place to sleep at night.

Never mind what you think about it, the rejection by shareholders of Places for People’s bid for Reidvale Housing Association throws up some big issues.

Marcus Di Rollo examines the impacts of the Scottish Government's rent cap on investors, developers, and tenants, and explores the upcoming challenges and potential changes in rent control policies. The Scottish Government’s rent cap divides opinion. On one hand, it has arguably protected

Claire Campbell explains why legislation is needed to address the scourge of mould in rented properties. In December 2022, I wrote about the sad death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in Rochdale in December 2020 as a result of his exposure to damp and mould in his family’s rented property, and str

Grampian Housing Association CEO Craig Stirrat offers his thoughts on the forthcoming release of the next Scottish House Condition Survey (2022). With the (pre) announcement that the 2022 Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) is due by the end of February 2024, the paraphrase, “Houston, we ha

Link housing officer Paula Cherry reflects on a recent litter pick in Edinburgh.

Hazel MacIver, Homeless Network Scotland’s new programme advisor shares her initial impressions of the Fair Way Scotland partnership and sets out how the determination and positivity of its partners, allied to the programme’s evidence-based approach, is achieving tangible results. Fair W

The Scottish Housing Regulator's assistant director (governance and performance) Margaret Sharkey details the latest meeting of the Urban Landlord Group. We had another of our regular meetings with one of the three standing groups of senior people from Registered Social Landlords to discuss imp

Deputy chair Andrew Watson shares his thoughts following the latest meeting of the Scottish Housing Regulator's Rural & Islands Landlord Group. In November we had another of our regular meetings with the standing group which brings together senior leaders from Registered Social Landlords (R

David Bookbinder, director of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations, reflects on the housing cuts announced in the Scottish Budget just before Christmas. A harsh headline, perhaps. But after months of high-profile coverage of our housing crisis, a 26% cut to the Affordable H