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As a former builder turned Empty Homes Officer, I realised that the key to encouraging people to restore empty homes was to make it affordable. The owners I was working with were generally people who had inherited run-down properties they couldn’t afford to restore, and families on limited incomes who were drawn to the isles for quality of life and had bought an empty home that needed renovation.
Working with contractors and suppliers, I developed a discount programme with these companies for owners of empty homes which has been very successful. When combined with the fiscal benefits and incentives supported by the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, such as the VAT discount, this programme brought the prospect of bringing back empty homes within reach for many individuals and families.