Lettings
We let homes to 1,271 tenants into homes in an average of 134.7 days. This is an increase from the average of 107.7 days in 2022/23 and is higher than the local authority average of 72.6 days.
The number of void properties increased significantly during the years of COVID-19 when work in homes was restricted and the lettings process was impacted heavily due to Scottish Government public health guidelines. These enforced changes increased the re-letting timescales significantly and the backlog they created was still being worked through in 2023/24.
However, void properties have reduced by around 500 between June 2023 and October 2024. Our target is to reduce the number of void properties down to 650 by the end of March 2025 from its current total of 969, all whilst maintaining the current focus on void turnaround improvements.
How we are improving
Reducing the number of Council void properties has been identified as a key priority in the Housing Emergency Action Plan to help tackle Edinburgh’s housing emergency.
Additional resources have been deployed to repairs and locality teams, and a working group established to monitor progress and take any necessary mitigating actions.