0131 550 1561 office@veteransscotland.org.uk

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.



Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (Homelessness)

Tel: 0800 169 34 58 Email: veterans.help@spva.gsi.gov.uk

Service Personnel and Veterans , Norcross Agency , Thornton Cleveleys, , Lancashire, FY5 3WP

These pages on the SPVA site contain a directory to those organisations who can give practical help and assistance to homeless people in general and organisations who specialise in helping veterans.

http://www.veterans-uk.info/homelessness/homelessness.html

Shelter Scotland

Tel: 0808 800 4444 Email: cotnact online

6 South Charlotte Street , Edinburgh EH2 4AW

Shelter Scotland believes everyone should have a home. We help people find and keep a home, and campaign for decent housing for all.

www.shelter.org.uk

Sight Scotland Veterans

Sight Scotland Veterans provides a free service supporting individuals who at some point in their lives have served in the armed forces and currently live with a visual impairment. Members’ sight loss does not have to have occurred during, or as a result of, time spent in the armed forces. Many of their members have lost their sight due to aging or medical conditions.

Websites:  sightscotlandveterans.org.uk
Phone:  0800 035 6409

The Scottish Welfare Reform Advisory Service

Tel: 03445151310 Email: cotnact online

Benefits, housing and debt – give your clients a head start

Welcome to this introduction to welfare benefits, housing and debt for frontline advice and support staff in Scotland. Advice is from Shelter Scotland and the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland. Benefits, housing and debt are often connected so it makes sense to think and talk about them together. This website is intended to help you support your client to:

  • know what changes to the benefits system are ahead that may affect people’s money or housing
  • help you spot possible and existing debt and money issues for your client and suggest ways of managing these
  • check ways of preventing evictions and homelessness
  • signpost for further help.

How to use the service

  • You may find the information you need to support your client by checking the benefits, housing or debt sections of this website.
  • Didn’t find the answer you need? Call the advice line or email.
    • For  housing or debt advice call Shelter Scotland’s advice line for advisers on 0344 515 1310 or email Scotwras@shelter.org.uk (we aim to answer emails within three working days).
    • For advice about benefits call CPAG in Scotland’s advice line for advisers on 0141 552 0552 or email advice@cpagscotland.org.uk (we aim to answer emails within 10 working days).

www.scotwras.org

Veterans Housing Scotland

Veterans Housing Scotland has over 100 years’ experience in providing homes for disabled Veterans and are extremely proud of their history and of the service they have provided to those who have served their country yet are equally excited about their future and how as a charity they will continue to work with and support members of the Veterans Housing Scotland family. The Charity’s vision is to offer the Veterans Housing Scotland family much more than just a home but also, through coordination and cooperation with specialist partners, ensure that those veterans and their families who are in need of support get that support when and where it is required – as demonstrated in their strapline ‘building lives; building communities’.

Email:  admin@vhscot.org.uk

Phone:  0131 557 1188            Address: 1 Waterfront Avenue, Edinburgh EH5 1SG

Veterans Scotland

Jim Wilson – General Secretary
Tel: 0131 550 1569 Fax: 0131 557 5819 Email: gensec@veteransscotland.org.uk

New Haig House , Logie Green Road, Edinburgh EH7 4HR

Veterans Scotland’s aim is to establish cooperation and coordination between Veterans Organisations in Scotland, to act as a focal point for all matters concerning the ex-Service community within Scotland and to represent these matters to Government at all levels.

http://www.veteransscotland.co.uk/