This guide is designed to help communities to take action on local housing issues. It contains information on the key elements required to develop a community housing project and highlights successful developments by communities across Scotland. The guide is a joint initiative of DTAS and the Rural Housing Service.

Click the links to go to the relevant page.

Introduction - so you want to build houses?

What is Affordable Housing - overview

Case Studies - list of all the Rural Housing Guide case studies

• Strathmashie, Laggan - where the community bought and renovated empty forestry houses
• Crianlarich Railway Houses - renovation of derelict railway houses
• Knoydart Foundation - renovation of empty property and new community owned houses built with Scottish Government grant
• West Harris Trust - providing house plots at low cost

Getting Started - checklist and first steps

• Community Engagement - checklist
• Local Housing Strategies - links to Local Development Plans / Housing Strategies for all the Scottish rural local authorities
• Strategic Housing Investment Plans - links to the rural local authority Strategic Housing Investment Plans (SHIPs)
• Local Planning Policies - links to each local authority's local plan

Assessing Housing Need - introduction and checklist

• Housing Need Surveys - different ways of conducting the survey
• Local House Prices - gathering information
• Second Homes - impact on the local housing market

Developing Affordable Rural Housing - introduction

• Housing Associations + Councils - working with partners to deliver affordable rented housing
• Community Trusts - content to follow
• Land - availability of land for housing development in rural Scotland
• Planning - checking local planning policies
• Identify Potential Sites - suggestions for identifying sites
• Housing Site Checklist - questions to check for each potential site
• Infrastructure - are water supplies, sewerage, drainage, roads, etc, available?
• Empty Homes - renovating empty property
• Rural Housing Burdens - Rural Housing Burdens (special right of pre-emption) and Rural Housing Bodies

Finance - overview

• Affordable Rent - calculating the level of rent is crucial
• Low Cost Home Ownership - information about low cost home ownership, including Low-cost Initiative for First Time Buyers (LIFT)
• Rural Home Ownership Grants
• Croft House Grants - the Croft House Grant Scheme
• Grants - Scottish Government Innovation Fund and Second Homes Council Tax funding
• Loans - includes a worked example of a mid market rent housing project

Managing Rural Housing - introduction to being a landlord

• Allocation Policies - how to allocate properties fairly and transparently
• Knoydart Foundation Allocation Policy - an example in practice
• Local Lettings Initiatives - an example from Orkney

Support - how to get help

This guide is a joint initiative by Rural Housing Scotland and DTA Scotland