Council to explore mid-market rent homes for East Renfrewshire
We're undertaking an assessment into the requirement and need for mid-market rent (MMR) housing in the local authority area.
Published 14 December 2023
MMR homes are designed to assist those who are on low to modest incomes, struggling to afford private renting or home ownership and for people who want an alternative housing option. The rent levels are set between social and private rent amounts.
During the development of our new Local Housing Strategy, the availability of, and access to, affordable housing in East Renfrewshire was identified as a concern, particularly given the projected increase in the older population, increasing proportion of single person households and requirement for greater movement throughout the local housing market.
As part of the Strategic Housing Investment Plan, local authorities are required to identify proposed strategic affordable housing projects across all tenures; MMR housing is one of these considerations and this consultation will provide key information on what the current and future need is as well as the key issues, challenges and opportunities for the future of housing requirements in East Renfrewshire.
East Renfrewshire Council's Housing and Environment Convener Danny Devlin said: "We know that East Renfrewshire continues to be an extremely popular place to live and we're committed to providing affordable housing options to people in a variety of circumstances. Mid-market rent homes are a possible solution for those who perhaps don't meet the criteria for Council housing, but struggle to afford private rent or mortgages. It's really important that we gather the views from residents on this matter, so I'd encourage anyone wishing to have their say to visit our online survey.'
As a social housing provider we are seeing an ever-increasing demand on our housing waiting list. Housing Services currently have approximately 3,000 properties, yet the demand is in excess of 5,000 applications. This means that households with relatively low needs will wait longer to secure a successful bid through our choice based letting system.
We're committed to providing alternative affordable housing options and have seen success with schemes such as LIFT and shared equity that make home-ownership more affordable for many households.
In terms of rental properties, social rent and private rented sector are traditional options available. Though throughout Scotland there is a growing number of mid-market rent (MMR) properties entering the market.
Would MMR work in East Renfrewshire?
We are carrying out research to determine if there is a need and requirement for MMR and what that need looks like to help us shape future housing provision. Through our research we are engaging with members of the public and housing providers to inform the outcome of our research.
We've had excellent feedback so far, thank you to everyone who took the time to participate.
Public Survey
- 121 took place in our online survey
- 83 telephone took place in our in-depth telephone interviews
Focus Groups
35 households took part over 3 workshops
- 11 households attended the Thornliebank workshop
- 8 households attended the Clarkston workshop
- 16 households attended the Barrhead workshop
