More cash is to be set aside to help council tenants in Fife to downsize and free up larger properties for those in need.
Latest figures show there are 439 local authority homes across the region which are under occupied, 229 of them by two or more bedrooms.
Fife Council intends to review its Transfer Incentive Scheme (TIS) by offering more practical and financial assistance to tenants to move out of houses in areas of high demand.
It’s understood the incentives could involve a cash payment of £1,500, disruption allowance of £400 and an additional £400 per bedroom given up. In cases where there is a council debt, rent arrears may be written off and a free rent fortnight will be offered to give people time to move.
Practical help could include a dedicated worker to support tenants through the transfer process; assistance with forms; arranging removals, and disconnection and reconnection of domestic appliances.
A report on the review is anticipated by the summer of 2020.
Gavin Smith, housing access service manager, said the £200,000 annual budget allocated for the TIS was overspent for the first time last year following several years of underspend.
“The promotion has been undersold in the last 10 years or so and we need to do more,” he said.
“It’s about giving our officers flexibility because it’s not always financial, it can be about arranging electrical connections and that sort of thing.”
Mr Smith said there was a lack of awareness in Fife around the TIS, but a lack of desirable alternative properties had also been a barrier to some people using the scheme.
Kirkcaldy Labour councillor Neil Crooks welcomed the review.
“It’s a great scheme, it works really well and this is something that should make all of us happy,” he said.
“Sometimes people don’t want money, it can be small things like helping people to put blinds up that makes all the difference. It’s about making the package work for the individual.
“The hard bit is people who have been living in a property for a long time, the difficulty is trying to maintain that sense of community. If people are going to move, many would only want to move a few streets away.”
Head of housing John Mills said the council was also aiming to increase the housing stock by building new properties.
As part of this, it is looking to develop “microsites” whereby a smaller number of new homes would be constructed in certain areas.
“We’re looking at smaller gap sites and we’re hoping that will give us that extra flexibility,” he said.
