The top 10 areas of Scotland with the most empty houses

New research has revealed there are currently 47,333 empty houses in Scotland, with capital city Edinburgh accounting for over 7000 of that total.
Over 47,000 houses lie empty or derelict in Scotland.Over 47,000 houses lie empty or derelict in Scotland.
Over 47,000 houses lie empty or derelict in Scotland.

The research, conducted by regulated property buyers GoodMove using data from Gov.UK2, reveals how many empty houses there are in the UK, as well as public perception on these empty dwellings.

As it stands, there are currently 288,539 empty houses in the UK, with 16% of them in Scotland, 75% in England, and 9% in Wales.

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Unsurprisingly, Scotland’s major cities have the most empty dwellings in the country, with 7152 in Edinburgh, 4537 in Aberdeen and 3536 in Glasgow.

Outside of the cities, Fife (2943) and Highland (2595) are the areas with the most dormant properties.

The top 10 areas in Scotland with the most empty houses:

1 Edinburgh – 7152

2 Aberdeen – 4537

3 Glasgow – 3536

4 Fife – 2943

5 Highlands – 2595

6 Dumfries and Galloway – 1909

7 North Lanarkshire – 1791

8 Perth & Kinross – 1653

9 Scottish Borders – 1614

10 South Lanarkshire – 1536

Empty homes tend to raise conversation about homelessness. Shelter estimates that one in every 200 people in the UK are homeless, and as of December 31, 2020, there were 95,370 British households in temporary accommodation.

And while many empty dwellings are unsafe or simply unfeasible to renovate into accommodation, according to the survey, nearly seven in 10 (68%) of Brits surveyed felt that empty dwellings should be used to house homeless people.

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Commenting on the research, Nima Ghasri, chartered surveyor and director at GoodMove, said: “It’s really interesting to see the number of empty houses in the UK and in Scotland, and it’s not surprising to see the most empty dwellings in some of Scotland’s biggest cities.

“Empty dwellings vary from an abandoned house to a completely derelict building and of course not all of them are safe to be lived in, or even economically viable to be renovated into liveable properties. But with nearly seven in 10 Brits believing these empty houses could be used to accommodate homeless people in the UK, it raises a very important and interesting issue.”

To find out more about the research, visit Empty Housing Hotspots.