Bringing empty homes back into use: audit of privately owned empty homes

Appendix 4: Qualitative research topic guides

Topic guide – Local authorities

Scottish Government Empty Homes Audit

Interviews with local authorities

The Scottish Government has appointed Indigo House to undertake an independent Empty Homes Audit, which will set out the scale of the problem and consider how long-term empty homes can be brought back into use. The findings from this work will be used by Scottish Government to consider how it can meet its commitments on empty homes set out within the Housing to 2040 Strategy; this includes maximising the outcomes of existing and any future funding schemes.

We have already issued a survey to all local authorities and thank you for completing the survey. We are now following up with individual or group interviews with a sample of eight local authorities to understand the issues in more depth. We would like to interview the most relevant local authority colleagues through an interview held on an MS Teams call. It may be that one, or several colleagues may be relevant including Empty Homes, legal, building control officers etc and please invite those colleagues who you think are most relevant. The areas we would like to discuss are outlined on the following page.

The interviews will be led by either Anna Evans or Regina Serpa of Indigo House. The meeting will be recorded (audio or video as you prefer) and will last between 1 to 1.5 hours. The interview data will be analysed thematically, in summary form and we may use direct quotes which will be anonymised and will be non-disclosive. We may use case studies in the draft and final report which may identify individual local authorities. These will be drafted for your review and permission for inclusion in the report.

Data protection, consent and how the information will be used

Any information you provide will be stored on the Indigo House secure server, so that no one outside of the research team can access your data. All contact details will be destroyed at the end of the research.

By taking part in this interview you are agreeing for the data to be collected and used for the Scottish Government research and to inform future policy on empty homes in Scotland.

Before the interviews starts we will confirm:

You understand the purpose of the research

You are happy to proceed with the research, and can choose to withdraw at any time by telling us before using the contact details below, or at any point in the interview.

You agree to the interview being recorded – by MS Teams (with a choice of video or audio only) and notes being taken

You agree for interview data to be analysed and reported thematically, and in summary form, and direct quotes may be used but these will be anonymised.

Case studies may be developed for your local authority including individual anonymised properties for inclusion in draft and final report. We will ask for specific consent for inclusion of these once these case studies are drafted.

Should you have any questions before consenting to take part in the interview, please contact the research team leader, Anna Evans.

The findings of the overall study will be shared with the Local Authority in due course by the Scottish Government and the independent Audit will be published in the form of a report later in 2023.

Areas for discussion

• Data collection and assessment of empty homes - What are the strengths and weaknesses of data collection on long term empty homes? What are the sources, how do you augment this data, how to record and monitor change. What else could /should be done in relation to data collection?
• How do you (if you do) assess whether empty homes can be brought back into use – what is the process/resources you use for this? How do you decide what is within your active caseload/how do you prioritise? Does that involve a formal assessment?
• What are the trends in relation to empty homes in your area – what are the trends you have seen in the number and type of long term empty homes. What do you think the key drivers are?
• What are the main barriers to bringing long-term empty properties back into use – developing in depth discussion from your survey responses.
• Initiatives to bring empty homes back into use – we would like to explore in more depth what you think is the most effective approaches, including discussion of potential case studies from your area.
• What else needs to happen – do you have any suggestions about what might need to happen in the future, locally and nationally, to help tackle long-term empty homes?

Topic guide - Empty homeowners

Scottish Government Empty Homes Audit

Interviews with empty homeowners

The Scottish Government has appointed Indigo House to undertake an independent Empty Homes Audit, which will set out the scale of the problem and consider how long-term empty homes can be brought back into use. The findings from this work will be used by Scottish Government to consider how it can meet its commitments on empty homes set out within the Housing to 2040 Strategy; this includes maximising the outcomes of existing and any future funding schemes.

We are getting in touch because you have recently completed a survey distributed by your local Council and you indicated an interest is taking part in an interview. Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey, and for your further interest. We would now like to arrange a telephone interview so that we can discuss your experience in more depth. The interview will be undertaken by either Anna Evans or Regina Serpa and will last about 30 minutes. As a thank you for your time for participating in this interview we will provide a £30 shopping voucher (electronic vouchers will be provided with a range of options available including supermarkets and online stores).

We would like to discuss with you:

• your experience of owning a long-term empty home (over 6 months)
• what your views are on the various options available to you in bringing your long term empty home back into use
• any support you may have received to bring the empty home back into use
• what you think needs to change, or potential solutions to bring more long-term empty homes back into use.

Data protection, consent and how the information will be used

Any information you provide will be stored on the Indigo House secure server, so that no one outside of the research team can access your data. All contact details will be destroyed at the end of the research.

By taking part in this interview you are agreeing for the data to be collected and used for the Scottish Government research and to inform future policy on empty homes in Scotland. Before the interview start we will confirm:

You understand the purpose of the research

You are happy to proceed with the research, and can choose to withdraw at any time by telling us before using the contact details below, or at any point in the interview.

You agree to the interview being recorded and notes being taken by the interviewer

You agree for interview data to be analysed and reported thematically, and in summary form, and direct quotes may be used but these will be anonymised.

We may develop case studies from you experience, with your consent.

Should you have any questions before agreeing to take part in the interview, please contact the research team leader, Anna Evans.

The independent Audit report will be published by Scottish Government later in 2023.

Topic guide - Wider stakeholders

Scottish Government Empty Homes Audit

Interviews with wider stakeholders

The Scottish Government has appointed Indigo House to undertake an independent Empty Homes Audit, which will set out the scale of the problem and consider how long-term empty homes can be brought back into use. The findings from this work will be used by Scottish Government to consider how it can meet its commitments on empty homes set out within the Housing to 2040 Strategy; this includes maximising the outcomes of existing and any future funding schemes.

We have already issued a survey to all local authorities and we have asked local authorities to issue surveys to empty home owners. We are now following up with interviews with wider stakeholders, local authorities and empty home owners. We would like to meet with you through to discuss issues and potential solutions around long term empty homes. The areas we would like to discuss are outlined on the following page.

The meetings will be led by either Anna Evans or Regina Serpa of Indigo House. The interview will be recorded (audio or video as you prefer) and will take about 1 hour. The interview data will be analysed thematically, in summary form and we may use direct quotes which will be anonymised.

Data protection, consent and how the information will be used

Any information you provide will be stored on the Indigo House secure server, so that no one outside of the research team can access your data. All contact details will be destroyed at the end of the research.

By taking part in this interview you are agreeing for the data to be collected and used for the Scottish Government research and to inform future policy on empty homes in Scotland.

Before the interview start we will confirm:

You understand the purpose of the research

You are happy to proceed with the research, and can chose to withdraw at any time

You agree to the interview being recorded using MS Teams (with a choice of video or audio) and notes taken

You agree for interview data to be analysed and reported thematically, and in summary form, and direct quotes may be used but these will be anonymised/non-disclosive.

Case studies may be developed from your experience, including individual anonymised properties for inclusion in draft and final report. We will ask for specific consent for inclusion of these once these case studies are drafted.

Should you have any questions before consenting to take part in the interview, please contact the research team leader, Anna Evans.

The independent Audit report will be published by Scottish Government later in 2023.

Areas for discussion

• Background – please let us know your role and experience in relation to this subject.
• Data collection and assessment of long term empty homes (over 6 months) - What do you know about the data collection methods used for identifying long term empty homes? What do you consider to be the strengths and weaknesses of data collection on long term empty homes and what else could /should be done in relation to data collection?
• What do you consider are the key trends and drivers in relation to long term empty homes – what is your perception on any change in relation to the number/type of long-term empty homes nationally, and what do you consider to be the drivers?
• What are the main barriers to bringing long-term empty properties back into use?
• Initiatives to bring empty homes back into use – from your experience, what do you think the most effective methods to bring properties back into use? Do you have insights from initiatives and policies in relation to empty homes from your own experience you wish to highlight, or other initiatives outside Scotland that you are aware of that are worth further investigation?
• What else needs to happen – do you have any suggestions about what might need to happen in the future, locally and nationally, to help tackle long-term empty homes?

Indigo House

March 2023