7 ways we’re keeping homes affordable

by Liam Furby
Posted on
7 years ago
2 min read
We believe that everyone in Scotland deserves a warm, affordable home.
In government, we’re building more homes, we’re helping people buy their first home, we’re tackling fuel poverty and we’re ensuring tenants in the private rented sector don’t get ripped off.
We’ve achieved a lot in the last ten years but we know there is much more still to do. That’s why, over the next five years, we’ll build on our achievements to deliver a housing system fit for the 21st century.
Here’s how we’re living up to this commitment.

We’ve delivered almost 72,500 affordable homes. And we’re on track to deliver 50,000 across this Parliamentary term.

Around 20,000 families have been supported to buy their own home through home ownership schemes – three quarters of them under the age of 35. We’re investing £160 million in 2016-17 in schemes that will help 5,000 households buy a home.

We have already ensured that nobody in Scotland has to pay the Bedroom Tax. And we will use new powers to effectively abolish it once and for all, protecting over 70,000 households.

We’ve provided additional funding through the Scottish Welfare Fund to support 18 to 21 year olds following the Tory decision to remove their Housing Benefit.

We have passed a new law to allow the creation of rent controls in areas with high rents. And we’ve ensured private sector letting agents fees, over and above rent and a deposit, are unlawful.

15,500 social houses for rent have been safeguarded by ending Right to Buy. And Councils have been enabled to build new homes for the first time in years – with 7,169 new council homes delivered.

By the end of 2021 we will have committed £1 billion to tackling fuel poverty, and over one million energy efficiency measures have already been installed in almost one million households across Scotland.

We’ve set a new national objective to end rough sleeping – backed up by a new £50 million fund.