Do you know about the grants that are available from the Empty Homes Project that is run through Comhairle nan Eilean Siar? Although there seems to be endless headlines about a housing and cost of living crisis, there is support out there for renovating homes in the Western Isles, with under 40 year olds getting the top end of these benefits.

Uist Beò caught up with Murdo MacLeod, the Empty Homes Officer for the whole of the Western Isles and he has outlined how there is plenty to be saved while working on your renovation and breathing new life into old properties.

Murdo encourages anyone to contact him to see what’s available to them at any time. Here, we’re only scratching the surface of the help that is out there for renovations and we encourage you to contact Murdo or to have a look on the CNES website for more detailed information.

‘A lot of people are struggling to get on the property ladder and maybe they’ll end up buying an older property. I’ll help them out as best I can, because there are always ways to get the best deals possible.

If a property has been empty for six months, then it is claimed as an empty home. After this, there are two tiers which come with extra benefits and both work in different ways. There are various discounts available for houses that have either been empty for two years or more, or ten years or more.

Murdo encourages anyone interested in the latter should phone him directly and he can give the information more clearly. As expected there are some hoops to jump through and with over 40 years experience in the building trade, Murdo is the expert in this field. The oldest property that Murdo worked on was empty for 75 years.

‘If a property is empty for two years or more, and if they use a VAT registered contractor, they would get 15% off the VAT discounted at source. I would issue a VAT letter confirming the property was empty. I would check with the council tax in the assessor’s department, just to ask for confirmation.

 

And if that can’t be checked, I can also check through the meter readings, obviously making allowances for temporary lighting and any fridges and freezers and so on. If the evidence shows that it’s not been lived in, then a VAT letter can be issued and they will get the discount.

And, if a property is ten years or more empty, and I find the evidence equivalent as before, then they will get a letter allowing them to get full 20% of the VAT back, just as on a new-build. They can recoup that a few ways and they’re able to move into the property after the work has started and they’re still eligible for the VAT. Just as in a new-build, once you move in, you’ve got three months to make the claim.

So they’re both slightly different.

On top of all this, Murdo has a long list of merchants and companies in the islands and on the mainland that he works with to give out discount codes of up to 40%, covering pretty much every corner of a renovated house that can save a homeowner multiple of thousands of pounds on top of the VAT.

The list is endless and includes Nessglaze, Howdens Kitchens, Jewsons, Floor to Floor and many many others. Coming up soon, Murdo hopes to work with another scheme which helps homeowners with solar panels, air source heating, insulation and everything else energy!

I also work with Home Energy Scotland and depending on an individual’s circumstances, or their earnings etc, then they might give out an interest free loan for a heating system, so to obtain that in itself is something well worth doing.

The likes of deluxe paint. They can buy it from any main depot in the country, and they can pick up the paint from anywhere. What I do is I issue out a voucher and it’s got a specific code and that allows them to get the 40% discount. It can also be sent with free delivery to Woody’s yard in Stornoway and can be collected by anyone from there.

Jewson’s have reported about a 5% increase in the sales orders since I started in 2018 which is great and that’s quite a lot. 

 

Howdens offer a 25% discount off everything on show. That’s kitchens, sinks, workshops, ovens, hoods, you name it. There must be at least over 50 kitchens being purchased already.

 

Murdo and The Empty Homes Project works on a very broad scope across the Western Isles and can be beneficial to both new owners or old owners of a property, as long as the house hasn’t been lived in for at least six months. There are also supports available for crofters. Even if they are working on a decrofted house, however, this has to be the main residence of the crofter.

‘I’m able to look into the history of the property and see what’s available for them. 

To have, say, £30,000 worth of insulation done in your property is absolutely mind blowing. And then you can obviously have the heating system installed and of course, if you’re obtaining VAT discounts and so forth, then it is all very good.

There are also grants out there for various other projects around the house or croft, including for a polygrub, for fencing, for a new road to the house or for a new barn.

As mentioned before, there are more options out there for younger homeowners and Murdo says that:

‘I’m always cheeky enough to ask for their ages, but I always tell them that there’s a reason for it. And when you tell them, they go wow.

I always tell them to make the phone call. Because sometimes it’s from the date of application and that still makes them eligible and it’s really worth it.

I’ve seen a lot more empty properties go to auction or just being sold in general, that have been inherited and so on. And because they’ve been in a poorer state, they are going cheaper.’

Since October 2018, the Project has supported 280 completed cases and they have the best part of 300 live cases at the moment. However, the uptake in Uist could be increased. Just over 80 of these live cases are happening from Berneray to Barra and Murdo wants to encourage more young people and homeowners to get involved in the Empty Homes Project and live in the houses of their dreams.

 

Some of these new homes have gone on to win awards at the annual Scottish Empty Homes Conference, and Murdo has done his best to deliver the award to the winners of that home.

‘We’re trying to encourage the homeowners, regardless of what the condition of the house is, to get in touch and then see if we can help them. It’s always just been nice to be nice more than anything else.

You know, and I’m doing my best to publicise it. You know, that’s all I can do.’

To contact Murdo or to find out more information then please do click here

Murdo Macleod
Empty Homes Officer
Housing Services Team
Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar
Sandwick Road
Stornoway
HS1 2BW

Telephone:   01851 600501
Email:   murdoleo@cne-siar.gov.uk