Almost ten thousand more long-term empty homes than a decade ago

Scottish Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson Morven-May MacCallum MSP has today said that the SNP government must urgently scale up their response to the housing crisis, as new figures show that there were 44,500 empty homes across Scotland last year.

New figures published this week show that in 2025:

• There were 44,500 properties which had been empty for more than six months or more.
• There are now almost 10,000 more long-term empty homes than there were a decade ago.
• 73% of long-term empty homes in 2025 had been empty for more than 12 months.

Scottish Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson Morven-May MacCallum MSP said:

“The Scottish Government’s response to the housing crisis has fallen grossly short of what we need.

“These figures symbolise the waste and neglect in the current system. That so many homes are lying empty is an insult to all those people who are facing homelessness or who can’t get the housing they need.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats delivered more money for housing in last year’s budget and we are determined to build on that success.

“We have laid out plans to bring neglected properties back into use through measures like a new Help to Renovate loan scheme, with a particular focus on helping first-time buyers onto the housing ladder. We would also make it more straightforward for local authorities to address the problem of disused, dilapidated homes through compulsory purchase.”