Tuesday August 5th 2025
Flat blocks in Edinburgh
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Joe Sullivan
Edinburgh is set to extend the suspension of its council housing allocation policy until March 2027, as it tries to build up a larger stock of temporary accommodation.
The suspension started in April this year, with an original end date in June that has been pushed back with time.
Officers say the extension will allow the city to continue increasing its temporary housing stock.
A report for councillors says the city has around 4,800 such units now, but that it is projected to reach almost 7,000 by February 2027.
But, modelling by officers suggests that around 517 families would still be in unsuitable accommodation every night by March 2027.
Councillors will consider the application at a meeting of the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee next week.
The suspension was launched in order to open up council housing units for homeless people and families in need of temporary accommodation.
During the suspension, council housing is only being allocated to those with very significant need, mostly people who would occupy a hospital bed long term if not in a council house.
Officers have also presented the option of extending the allocations policy suspension for a shorter period, until March 2026.
But they warn that this would likely leave over 800 families in unsuitable accommodation.
It comes as the city faces dual pressures of a homelessness crisis and the need to move temporary accommodation tenants out of unlicensed HMOs, a policy started during Covid.
The report also said that council officers were liaising with Cardiff and Blackburn councils to learn about their modular housing and portakabin-type flats.
Additionally, it said they were speaking with staff in Renfrewshire Council about their work in converting garages to housing.
The city has already purchased a student housing block at 555 Gorgie Road to use as temporary accommodation, with the report suggesting it will be running by October.
It also said the city was set to purchase 101 studio flats and a five-bedroom home on Lasswade Road, off the City Bypass, from a private developer by December 2025.
Further, by the same time, 51 flats will be purchased in the West Craigs development, and 10 supported accommodation flats will be commissioned from a charity.
The city is also eyeing the continued purchase of second-hand homes in the city, with a target of 300 homes a year – 44 have been bought in 2025 as of June.
Other efforts, such as expanding interventions to prevent homelessness and expanding the amount of non-council social flats in the city rented to homeless tenants, are also underway.
Officers said that one major barrier to placing homeless households in units has been a ‘higher than expected’ number of refusals of offers of permanent accommodation.
The report reads: “The limited availability of accommodation makes it very challenging to meet the specific needs and preferences of households.”
Data in the report shows that the city’s homeless crisis appears to be reaching a plateau.
Between 2020-21 and 2023-24, the number of homeless presentations climbed from 1,798 to 3,907.
But in 2024-25, the number of presentations fell by 90 to 3,817.
Councillors will vote on whether to extend the allocations policy suspension at the next meeting of the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee on Tuesday, August 12, which you can view HERE.
Edinburgh Council has been contacted for comment.
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