Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Council set to ‘buy back’ city houses
DUNDEE City Council is set to buy back some of its old properties to try and meet social housing needs.
Plans to buy l arger former l ocal authority houses will be considered by members of the neighbourhood services committee on Monday.
The Open Market Acquisition Scheme noteds that there is a particular shortage of four and five-bedroom properties for social rent in the city.
The cost of “buy backs” will be met by allowances in the council’s capital plan, but will also be partially subsidised by the Scottish Government.
According to the report, a four-bedroom property in Tayside costs £108,000 on average and a five-bedroom is about £115,000. Those estimates are based on prices listed by Tayside Solicitor Property Centre.
Holyrood has pledged to contribute £35,000 in a grant towards any house the council purchases.
Anne Rendall, the deputy convener of neighbourhood services, said a majority of suitable houses would be predominantly in four areas of the city.
She said: “There are areas in the city which have more of the larger, ex-council housing stock.
“Those are Kirkton, Linlathen, Douglas and Charleston.
“In many ways this is the other side of the coin of another policy, where the council will sell off smaller properties which are the end of a block in blocks of four.
“They are not in such high demand, so selling them makes sense as it frees up capital for new investments such as the new houses being built at Alexander Street.”
Ms Rendall said the local authority would be looking to purchase a maximum of about five houses a year, based on current discussions with council officers.
The numbers would remain low as there is specific criteria a house must meet before the council could bid for it.
That includes the property having four or five bedrooms, being an ex-council property on the open market and being in a predominantly council-owned or managed block.
She added: “It’s a targeted approach. We’re trying to use every resource and creative way possible to help tenants.
“With the right-to-buy scheme, a lot of previous council stock was sold off.
“I think of this as just another tool in the box in terms of dealing with the housing demand.”