Newsroom

Scottish Property Federation Chairman Phil Miller has welcomed the retention of long term empty property rate relief in Scotland. 

"The removal of this relief in England is, as we know from fellow industry members within BPF, a serious policy blunder south of the border and it is therefore welcome that the Scottish Government has chosen not to apply full rates where there is no income.  SPF has always called for the Scottish Government not to follow the same path of removing long term rate relief for empty properties and we are therefore delighted that Scotland continues to retain this important relief."

"The removal of long term empty property relief in England has led to millions of square feet of commercial property being bulldozed and this is a sad loss of business capacity as much as the loss of existing buildings.  Oddly the policy was intended to free up properties for business tenants yet it merely seems to have achieved the demolition of commercial buildings.  The Scottish Government is therefore to be commended on taking a longer term view of the value and need for empty property rate relief."

Notes

1.  The BPF (British Property Federation) represents property owners, investors and associated professional firms.  The Scottish Property Federation is its Scottish arm based in Edinburgh.

2.  Comments from BPF based on research by the Local Data Company suggests 15 million sq feet of property has been demolished since the removal of long term empty property rate relief in England.  Please see this link for the BPF's comments and links to the research.