0131 550 1561 office@veteransscotland.org.uk
Housing

Housing

Finding somewhere to live when we leave the Services is usually our highest priority.  Most of us find a home to buy or rent, but for some of us, disability or other problems can make the process difficult.  This section is aimed principally at such Veterans and provides access to organisations that aim to make a difficult process easier.

Veteran housing

When you leave the armed forces, the options for where you and your family can live include:

  • renting a property
  • buying a property
  • housing support
  • veteran housing charities
  • support if you are in danger of being or have been made homeless

Information about housing is available in the Scottish housing guide for people leaving the armed forces and ex-service personnel.

You can find general advice on leaving the armed forces in the GOV.UK Service Leavers Pack.

A housing guide for people leaving the armed forces and ex-service personnel

Deciding where to live is one of the most important choices you and your family will need to make on leaving the armed forces. It is never too early to think about where you will set up home. Whether you are due to leave in a year, a couple of months or have already left, there is support out there to help you.

The information contained in the recently updated "A Scottish housing guide for people leaving the Armed Forces & ex-Service personnel"  sets out some of your housing options in Scotland and also looks at some of the questions you might have. It also gives you information about where you can go for further advice and support.  A copy of the guide is available via the link below.

A Scottish housing guide for people leaving the Armed Forces & ex-Service personnel

 

Local Authority Housing

Local Authority Housing Departments

There are 32 Local Authorities (LA) in Scotland. Each LA in Scotland runs their own housing department. If you think you may need to apply for social housing when you leave the forces get in touch with the LA as soon as possible. Below is a list of all 32 Local Authorities websites and contact telephone numbers. DO NOT LEAVE IT TO THE LAST MINUTE.

Local Authority Phone Website
Aberdeen City Council 01224 522000 www.aberdeencity.gov.uk
Aberdeenshire Council 0845 608 1207 www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk
Angus Council 08452 777778 www.angus.gov.uk
Argyll & Bute Council 01546 602127 www.argyll-bute.gov.uk
City of Edinburgh Council 0131 200 2000 www.edinburgh.gov.uk
City of Glasgow 0141 287 2000 www.glasgow.gov.uk
Clackmannanshire Council 01259 450 000 www.clacks.gov.uk
Comhairlenan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) 01851 703773 www.w-isles.gov.uk
Dumfries and Galloway Council 0303 333 3000 www.dumgal.gov.uk
East Dunbartonshire Council 0845 045 4510 www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk
Dundee City Council 01382 434000 www.dundeecity.gov.uk
East Ayrshire Council 01563 576 000 www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk
East Lothian Council 01620 827 827 www.eastlothian.gov.uk
East Renfrewshire Council 0141 577 3001 www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk
Falkirk Council 01324 506 070 www.falkirk.gov.uk
Fife Council 08451 550000 www.fife.gov.uk
Highland Council 0845 129 7777 www.highland.gov.uk
Inverclyde Council 01475 717171 www.inverclyde.gov.uk
Midlothian Council 0131 270 7500 www.midlothian.gov.uk
Moray Council 01343 543451 www.moray.gov.uk
North Ayrshire Council 0845 603 0590 www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk
North Lanarkshire Council 01698 403200 www.northlan.gov.uk
Orkney Islands Council 01865 249811 www.orkney.gov.uk
Perth and Kinross Council 01738 475000 www.pkc.gov.uk
Renfrewshire Council 0141 842 5000 www.renfrewshire.gov.uk
Scottish Borders Council 01835 824000 www.scotborders.gov.uk
Shetland Islands Council 01595 693535 www.shetland.gov.uk
South Ayrshire Council 01292 612000 www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk
South Lanarkshire Council 01698 454444 www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk
Stirling Council 0845 277 7000 www.stirling.gov.uk
West Dunbartonshire Council 01389 737000 www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk
West Lothian Council 01506 775000 www.westlothian.gov.uk

Housing Options Scotland (HOS)

HOS are a charity who provide advice on Housing in Scotland to service personnel with a physical or mental disability or with a family member with a physical or mental disability.

They have now expanded their service to any service leaver, regardless or injury or no injury: Email:

militarymatters@housingoptionsscotland.org.uk

Website: www.housingoptionsscotland.org.uk

Housing Options Scotland’s Military Matters project have produced a new guide to help veterans who are moving home in Scotland.  The guide gives a full list of organisations that help veterans as well as more information around the team at Military Matters.  You can find the guide here: https://housingoptionsscotland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/MM-Supp-guide-6.pdf

Low Cost Initiative for First Time Buyers (LIFT)

LIFT (Low Cost Initiative for First Time Buyers) OMSE (Open Market Shared Equity) is a shared equity scheme funded by the Scottish Government to help first time buyers, and other priority groups – including those serving in the armed forces and veterans who have left the forces in the last two years, get onto the property ladder.

When buying through the scheme, eligible applicants can apply for funding towards the price of a property that has been advertised for sale on the open market. The Scottish Government helps buyers to purchase a property by providing funding for between 10% and 40% of the sale price and gets the same percentage back when the property is sold. There are restrictions to the size and price of property that can be bought through the scheme (see website for full details).

Link administer the scheme for the Scottish Government for the whole of Scotland. More information can be found on our website (www.linkhousing.org.uk/LIFT) or on the page we have created specifically for the armed forces www.linkhousing.org.uk/armedforces the page has a video explaining the scheme and downloadable pdfs with details of the pricing thresholds for each area. We will continue to update the information on the page so let me know if there is anything specific that you think would be useful to include. When buying through a shared equity scheme, the majority of buyers can do so with a much smaller deposit (usually around 5% - depending on the mortgage provider) so buying a property is much more accessible.

Additional advice on housing

Shelter Scotland can also provide additional information on a wide range of housing and homeless issues that you may have.  They can provide information on finding a place to live, Renting right as well as information on eviction and repossession of your house/home and how to stop it.  Follow the link below to find out more about your options:

Leaflets

In this section you will find leaflets from Housing Options Scotland about the home buying process, benefits and many other leaflets that you might find useful. At the bottom of this section you will also find useful leaflets from other organisations.  If you cannot find what you are looking for please contact us and we will be happy to advise you in any way we can.

View Here

Scottish Housing Regulator

The Scottish Housing Regulator collect a range of financial and performance information about each landlord and the sector as a whole. We use this to monitor and assess landlord performance against the Scottish Social Housing Charter and to decide the level of engagement we need to have with each landlord.

Caledonia Housing Association

Tel: 0800 678 1228 Email: info@caledoniaha.co.uk

5 South St John’s Place , PERTH PH1 5SU

Citizens Advice Bureau Scotland

The advice and information provided by the bureau is highly regarded with decades of experience in delivering a free, independent, confidential and impartial advice and information services to the general public. They provide advice through face-to-face, telephone and email services, and online via our self- help advice on www.citizensadvice.org.uk .

The Armed Services Advice Project (ASAP) provides dedicated information, advice and support to members of    the Armed Forces Community in Scotland.

The service is provided by the Scottish Citizens Advice Bureau Service, and the funding group is led by Poppyscotland. We work closely with many organisations, both Service related and others, to provide support to the people who contact us.

Need advice? 

We provide free, confidential, impartial information, advice and support to people who:

  • are currently serving in the Armed Forces, either Regular or Reserve, or a dependant of someone who is
  • have served in the Armed Forces, either Regular or Reserve, or a dependant of someone who has
  • are members of the Merchant Navy who served in a commercial vessel in support of legally defined UK military operations, or a dependant.

Our advice covers a range of areas, including benefits, debt, employment, relationships and housing.

Get in touch

  • Ask us to call you.  You can use the Get Advice from ASAP form on either of the above websites to send us your contact details, and an adviser will give you a ring back between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday
  • Visit your local bureau.

www.asapadvice.org.uk

Disabled Person Housing Service

Shirley Finlayson
Tel: (01224) 810222 Email: info@dphsaberdeen.org

Top Floor , Raeden Court, Mid Stocket Road , Aberdeen, AB15 5PF

We provide a professional advice service to clients either in our office or home visits to disabled clients are available if they are unable to call in to see us.

Client details as well as their specific housing requirements are recorded on a registration form. We work closely with all local landlords and gather information on clients current housing needs of all their current and planned adapted, barrier free and wheelchair accessible properties. This enables us to ‘match’ our clients with the most suitable properties when they become available either to rent or to buy.

At the present time the majority of contact and property detail has come from social sector landlords including the local Council and the five leading Housing Associations in the City.

However, the DPHS Aberdeen is very keen to enter into discussion with private landlords who can provide information on their properties and these can be ‘matched’ with disabled people who are seeking this type of accommodation.

 

http://www.dphsaberdeen.org/index.html

Eildon Housing Association

– Head Office
Tel: 03000200217

The Weaving Shed , Ettrick Mill, Dunsdale Road, Selkirk TD7 5EB

www.eildon.org.uk

Erskine Veterans Charity

As Scotland’s foremost provider of care for Veterans and their spouses, Erskine provides unrivalled nursing, residential and dementia care in our care homes. For Veterans in an earlier stage of life, we have 44 cottages for Veterans and their families, 5 assisted living apartments and 23 transitional apartments, creating a Veterans Village supporting beneficiaries of all ages.  We assist younger Veterans who need help to begin the next chapter of their lives, offering social, recreation and training facilities at our Activity Centre and employment opportunities in partnership with Scotland Bravest Manufacturing Co. 

 

Erskine’s strength lies in the very special blend of dedicated care, compassion and understanding we offer to residents and their families. Erskine supports nearly 1,000 Veterans each year; our homes provide Veterans with the companionship of like-minded people.  Erskine not only care for our Veterans – we care about them. Our Service personnel display the highest levels of bravery and courage throughout the world, and it is only right that Erskine is there for them should they need support in the future.  

 

Enquiries – Housing
Tel: 0141 812 1100

Bishopton , Renfrewshire PA7 5PU

Haig Homes

Tel: 0208 685 5777 Fax: 020 8685 5778

Alban Dobson House , Green Lane, Morden, Surrey SM4 5NS

Haig Housing Trust has over 1,500 properties located on small, well-managed estates across the UK. They have a mix of family-sized and smaller houses, flats and maisonettes and properties are rented to eligible Veterans and their families who are in housing need. There are estates in Glasgow with 26 homes and in Edinburgh with 65 houses.

Haig Housing Trust

Hillcrest Housing Association

Tel: 0300 123 2640

55 Huntingtower Road , PERTH PH1 2LH

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