One in 10 temporary houses lying empty amid record demand, data shows

One in 10 homes used for temporary accommodation in Scotland are lying empty, figures show.

Statistics released by the Scottish Government on Tuesday reveal 783 properties were vacant as of March 2024.

The figure is more than five times higher than the vacancy rate for regular council housing, which stood at 1.9%.

The Government said the difference could be due to the higher turnover in temporary accommodation and the need to have housing supply on demand for emergencies.

However, the total number of housing stock owned by councils being recorded as vacant over the last three years was also at its highest level since 2005. Since 2022, 3.6% of all local authority properties were vacant, compared with 3.8% 19 years ago.

Of the properties used for temporary accommodation that are lying empty, 9% did so for between 26 weeks and two years, while 4% did so for more than two years.

Another 27% were vacant for fewer than two weeks, 32% between two and six weeks and 28% between six and 26 weeks.

The figures come amid a record number of homeless Scots in temporary accommodation.

As of March this year, 16,300 households were in the system – the highest since the Scottish Government’s records began in 2002.

Those figures, released in September, also showed the number of children awaiting a permanent home surged to more than 10,000 – the highest on record.

Housing minister Paul McLennan described the homeless statistics at the time as “deeply concerning”.

Those placed in temporary accommodation were there on average for 226 days, but that number increased to 507 for Edinburgh residents.

Since 2023, the Scottish Government and at least a dozen councils have declared a housing emergency as services struggle to cope with demand.

Amid a lack of available homes, the number of B&Bs being used as temporary housing rose 12% since 2023, accounting for 16% of all placements.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: “Scotland has stronger housing rights for people experiencing homelessness than elsewhere in the UK, with a statutory duty on local authorities to provide accommodation to anyone at risk of homelessness.

“The Scottish Government has allocated £80 million to councils this year and next to increase the supply of social and affordable homes through acquisitions and, where appropriate, to bring long-term voids back into use.

“We will also invest £2 million next year to help local authorities unlock barriers, develop a targeted approach and embed empty homes work across their services to bring more privately owned empty homes back into use.

“It is also important that local authorities have a supply of available temporary accommodation for people presenting as homeless who need to be accommodated with immediate effect.”