The Highland Council is launching a new Empty Homes Challenge Fund as part of wider efforts to tackle housing pressures across the Highlands.

The fund will offer grants of up to £30,000 in rural areas and up to £25,000 in urban areas to help owners repair and refurbish long term empty properties.

To qualify, homes must have been empty for at least 12 months.

In return, properties must either be rented out at affordable mid market rates or used as the owner’s main residence for at least five years.

The council says there are currently 2,466 long term empty homes across Highland with 41 percent vacant for more than three years.

The fund forms part of a wider response to the Highland Housing Challenge which was formally declared in June 2024.

The council estimates around 24,000 new homes will be needed across the Highlands by 2035.

Bill Lobban said:

“There is no single solution to the Highland Housing Challenge.

“That is why we are taking a series of practical, coordinated actions from bringing empty homes back into use to creating mechanisms that speed up development, and identifying land.

“The availability of local housing for people to live and work in the region is critical to the future sustainability of our communities and the wider socio economic transformation of our region.”

The council also confirmed progress on proposed Master Consent Areas aimed at accelerating house building across several Highland sites.

Following public consultation, proposed developments at Essich Road in Inverness, Embo and Ardersier have all been reduced in scale.

The council is now proposing around 400 homes at Ardersier, 315 homes at Essich and 60 homes at Embo.

The plans also include requirements for affordable housing, community facilities, transport improvements, drainage measures and environmental protections.

Members agreed to move forward with proposed masterplan consent area schemes at all three locations with further consultation still to take place.

Raymond Bremner said:

“The Council is investing £1 million in an Empty Homes Challenge Fund, aimed at increasing the availability of affordable housing while supporting rural regeneration.

“Empty homes are a real challenge for Highland, which has more long term empty homes than any other local authority in Scotland.

“This fund will build on our Empty Homes Strategy by offering practical support to owners to help them bring properties back into everyday use.”

Applications for the Empty Homes Challenge Fund will open on the Highland Council website when the fund goes live at the end of May. 

Early interest and enquires can be made to: empty.homes@highland.gov.uk