Bringing empty homes back into use

A NEW report has revealed that there are fewer empty homes in Dundee than in the previous 12 months.

Figures published by the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership show that while Dundee City Council is tackling the issue, most of the empty homes in the city have been unoccupied for more than 12 months.

Kevin Cordell, convener of Dundee City Council’s neighbourhood regeneration, housing and estate management committee said: “While these figures are a step in the right direction, and are a testament to the hard work that the council is putting into tackling this,  it is critical that we continue to use every tool at our disposal to address the issues our communities face.

“These figures show that just over 1.4% of the 71,700 homes in the city are unoccupied at any one time, which compares favourably with other council areas, but we need as many homes as possible to help meet housing need and reduce homelessness.

“Our focus is on bringing as many empty homes back into use as possible so that there is more housing available to meet people’s needs, less intervention by the council and emergency services, improved appearance of our communities and a more consistent financial return for owners.

“Looking to the future I am happy to reaffirm our commitment to tackling the issue of long-term empty homes across the city.”

Figures from September 2024 showed that there were 43,538 empty homes in Scotland. Of these, 31,596 were classed as long-term empty (residential properties liable for council tax that had been unoccupied for 12 months or longer).

In Dundee there were 1,014 total empty homes, of which 557 were categorised as long term.

This represents a reduction of 1,724, or more than half, when compared with the September 2023 figure. Most of the unoccupied homes are in private ownership and have been empty for 12 months or more.

The figures come almost a year after Dundee City Council’s Empty Homes Strategy was approved. Residents can report empty properties or seek advice by contacting empty.homes@dundeecity.gov.uk or by calling 01382 435587.