Landlord incentives

Empty homes

Empty homes can be costly to both owners and the local community; the longer they are empty, the greater the waste and the harder it can be to bring them back into use. By owning an empty property there are costs incurred such as council tax, insurance and security; lost income from renting or selling the property; and reduction in the property’s value if the properties condition deteriorates.

If you are interested in bringing your empty home back into use we can offer you some advice and assistance in the following areas:

• Safety and security
• Renovation overview
• VAT discounts
• Energy efficiency
• Selling options such as estate agents, auction houses, property buying companies
• Private renting
• We operate a ‘buy back’ scheme (ex-Council properties)
• The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP) operate a national matchmaker scheme whereby owners can provide details of their property, this information can be passed to potential purchasers

Empty Homes Property Matchmakers Scheme

The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership’s (SEHP) national matchmaker scheme links owners of empty homes with people looking to purchase vacant properties. The matchmaker scheme is designed to make the process of selling an empty home easier for both buyers and sellers. If you own a property, it’s easy to register and be matched with the hundreds of buyers who contact SEHP each year, specifically looking to purchase empty homes.

If you’re a buyer interested in a particular property, register an interest and your details will be sent to the owner, it’s then up to them whether they wish to follow up on your enquiry or not. While SEHP can’t offer any legal advice on the process of selling or buying a property, it’s Empty Homes Advice Service and website provide some practical guidance for current owners and prospective owners of empty homes. National Empty Homes Matchmaker Scheme

Buying Back Council Houses

To increase the supply of affordable housing in high demand areas, consolidate our stock and to respond to identified community care needs, we can buy properties which respond to specific need as part of our Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) programme. Please see Buying back council houses · East Ayrshire Council (east-ayrshire.gov.uk for further information and to download an application form.

Council tax discount

In accordance with the Council Tax legislation an empty dwelling is a dwelling which is both unoccupied and unfurnished which has already received the appropriate 50% discount for the mandatory period and still remains vacant.  A levy has been applied  for properties that are unoccupied for more than 12 months and a 100% additional council tax charge will be applied to the property unless it is currently being:

• actively marketed for sale or rent
• undergoing structural repairs
• is classed as a second home

If you have an empty home in East Ayrshire or if there has been a change to this information please contact Council Tax to allow your records to be updated accordingly.

Private landlord advice

If you wish to consider becoming a private landlord we would provide potential landlords with a package of assistance to ease the transition from being an owner of an empty property to being a private rented sector landlord. This could include providing:

• Landlord guides, including model tenancy agreements etc
• Access to the available property list (private landlord public list)
• Registration assistance
• Ongoing advice and assistance