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73% of empty homes in Scotland vacant for over a year
The latest council tax data published by the Scottish government shows that 43,538 properties in Scotland are empty, and 73% of these homes were empty for over a year.
Overall, the data shows that there has been a 6% decrease since 2023 in the number of homes classified as empty in Scotland, from 46,217 to 43,538.
This decrease can be accounted for by a clarification of the data collection rules, which reiterated that homes can only be counted when they have been empty for six months or longer.
But long-term empty homes, those that have been empty for more than 12 months, make up 31,596, or 73%, of all empty homes.
This means they have been vacant for longer than six months and are liable for council tax.
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Prior to 2024, some councils had been including homes that were vacant for a shorter timeframe than this, meaning previous figures were overstated. However, the report said it was not possible to “quantify the impact for their inclusion on published statistics before 2024”.
Aberdeen City Council had the highest proportion of empty homes, at 13%, and Highland had the most long-term empty homes, at 12%.
As of September 2024, there were 47,779 unoccupied exemptions. These are empty homes that do not owe council tax. These may be new builds that have been unfurnished for less than six months or buildings awaiting demolishment.
Since 2005 the number of empty homes has risen by 28,245, or 184%.
Paul McLennan, Scotland’s housing minister, said: “Building on the success of the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership that has helped almost 11,000 empty properties become homes since 2010, next year we will invest £2m into bringing more privately owned empty homes back into use.
“We are also focused on working with partner organisations to identify how our planning system can help to provide these solutions. This decisive and properly targeted action, based on evidence, will provide more homes and better places for people to live in.”
In 2023-24, the number of long-term empty homes in Scotland that were brought back to use rose by 50%. The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, a non-profit funded by the government, returned more than 1,800 properties to use.
Council tax data also revealed that, in September 2024, there were 21,606 second homes across Scotland.
This represents a yearly decrease of 10%, the biggest annual decrease in a decade. In April, it was announced that council tax could be doubled on second homes, “likely” causing the sharp drop-off in second homes across Scotland.
