Scottish Government

Housing binds our communities, contributes to our wellbeing and affects our jobs and health opportunities. We have published our strategy and action plan for housing in the next decade.

The Housing (Scotland) Act will safeguard social housing for future generations by reforming the Right to Buy and modernise social housing regulation. As part of this, a Housing Charter will be starting point for assessing a landlord's performance. We received more than 250 responses to our Charter consulation and will shortly publish a report.

We offer better information for buyers and sellers through the Home Report, and help homeowners at risk of losing their homes through the Home Owners' Support Fund.

We are encouraging a thriving private rented sector, which provides good quality and well-managed accommodation, and in which both landlords and tenants understand their rights and responsibilities.

We have also developed the National Housing Trust initiative to deliver hundreds of additional homes for below private market rates rent across a wide range of local authority areas.

We are committed to ensuring that by 2012 every unintentionally homeless person will be entitled to settled accommodation.

In addition, the Energy Assistance Package and Home Insulation Scheme have been introduced to tackle fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency.