A recent Freedom of Information Act request has revealed that Glasgow is the third-worst local authority in Scotland in terms of homes lying empty with almost 2,000 properties worth £312 million being unoccupied.
The news comes as a Bank of Scotland study found that more than 2,100 people aged 18 to 34 said that the greatest obstacles to getting on to the housing ladder were affordability (73%), saving for a deposit (62%) and the availability of suitable properties (34%).
Looking into the issues Scotland is currently facing, insurance company Admiral discovered the shocking figures thanks to access to government data and a Freedom of Information request which looked at all 32 of Scotland's local authorities.
Their research revealed that 1,971 Glasgow homes, worth a combined £312 million, have been sitting empty across the city for years.
According to the government's definition, a long-term vacant house is one that has been empty for more than six months and in Scotland a total of 47,333 houses have stood vacant which brings the total collective value to a staggering £8.1 billion.
This is the equivalent of 19 in every 1,000 houses which is the highest proportion in Britain.
Some of their other key findings were just as shocking with Glasgow being named as having the third-highest number of vacant houses that have sat empty for more than 10 years in Scotland, with Edinburgh taking the top spot.
In addition to this, Glasgow also has the third-highest number of long-term vacant houses that have been empty between five and nine years and the second-highest in terms of houses that have been empty between two and four years, collectively valued at £157,707,500
The value of these properties is said to be valued at £312,403,500 - another figure that puts us in third place.
You can see the tables below which show the top 10 councils in Scotland and where we stand.
Scottish councils with the highest number of vacant houses that have been empty for more than 10 years
| |
Council | Number of vacant houses |
| 1 | City of Edinburgh | 801 |
| 2 | Moray | 659 |
| 3 | City of Glasgow | 349 |
| 3 | Inverclyde | 182 |
| 5 | Aberdeen | 181 |
| 6 | Fife | 169 |
| 7 | Renfrewshire | 148 |
| 8 | Shetland Islands | 142 |
| 9 | Angus | 112 |
| 10 | Orkney Islands | 78 |
Scottish councils with the highest number of vacant houses that have been empty for five to nine years
| |
Council | Number of vacant houses |
| 1 | Aberdeen | 813 |
| 2 | City of Edinburgh | 774 |
| 3 | City of Glasgow | 627 |
| 3 | Inverclyde | 431 |
| 5 | Moray | 331 |
| 6 | Fife | 219 |
| 7 | Aberdeenshire | 174 |
| 8 | South Lanarkshire | 149 |
| 9 | Shetland Islands | 141 |
| 10 | Angus | 135 |
Scottish councils with the highest number of vacant houses that have been empty for two to four years
| |
Council | Number of vacant houses |
| 1 | Aberdeen | 2,037 |
| 2 | City of Glasgow | 995 |
| 3 | City of Edinburgh | 828 |
| 3 | Angus | 641 |
| 5 | Fife | 579 |
| 6 | Moray | 576 |
| 7 | North Lanarkshire | 277 |
| 8 | Inverclyde | 254 |
| 9 | South Lanarkshire | 220 |
| 10 | Renfrewshire | 216 |
Scottish councils ranked by collective value of longer-term vacant houses (10+ years)
| |
Council | Value |
| 1 | City of Edinburgh | £189,339,179 |
| 2 | Moray | £106,066,050 |
| 3 | City of Glasgow | £55,316,500 |
| 4 | Aberdeen | £28,960,000 |
| 5 | Fife | £25,519,000 |
| 6 | Shetland Islands | £23,430,000 |
| 7 | Inverclyde | £19,292,000 |
| 8 | Renfrewshire | £18,944,000 |
| 9 | Angus | £18,928,000 |
| 10 | Orkney Islands | £12,497,628 |
Scottish councils ranked by collective value of longer-term vacant houses (five to nine years)
| |
Council | Value |
| 1 | City of Edinburgh | £182,956,959 |
| 2 | Aberdeen | £130,080,000 |
| 3 | City of Glasgow | £99,379,500 |
| 4 | Moray | £53,274,450 |
| 5 | Inverclyde | £45,686,000 |
| 6 | Aberdeenshire | £33,930,000 |
| 7 | Fife | £33,069,000 |
| 8 | Shetland Islands | £23,265,000 |
| 9 | Angus | £22,815,000 |
| 10 | South Lanarkshire | £20,860,000 |
Scottish councils ranked by collective value of longer-term vacant houses (two to four years)
| |
Council | Value |
| 1 | Aberdeen | £325,920,000 |
| 2 | City of Edinburgh | £195,721,398 |
| 3 | City of Glasgow | £157,707,500 |
| 4 | Angus | £108,329,000 |
| 5 | Moray | £92,707,200 |
| 6 | Fife | £87,429,000 |
| 7 | Shetland Islands | £33,165,000 |
| 8 | North Lanarkshire | £32,990,700 |
| 9 | South Lanarkshire | £30,800,000 |
| 10 | Renfrewshire | £27,648,000 |
To read ore about their findings, you can visit here.
