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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Marie Sharp

East Lothian Council hiring contractor to look into private house sales for future homes strategy

The price private homes sell for and rent paid by private tenants will be reported to a local authority as part of an investigation into local housing.

East Lothian Council is looking to take on a contractor to provide updates four times a year on the property market on its doorstep.

The contractor will be expected to report on the sale of owner-occupied properties, when they were first listed, sold and the price paid as well as the asking price, in a quarterly report.

They will also have to supply details of the homes from the number of bedrooms to accessibility and energy efficiency features.

For privately rented properties, the contractor will be asked to find out the size of the deposit paid, monthly rent and type of letting agreement between the tenant and landlord.

They are also asked to find out if the rental properties are available for council tenants and people on benefits as well as how energy efficient and accessible they are, when they were first leased and first date let.

A spokesperson for East Lothian Council said the research was part of a wider piece of work to gather information for its new housing policy.

The spokesperson said: "This research will feed into our draft Housing Strategy for 2023-28 alongside a range of other information including responses from a series of public consultations.

"It is critical that East Lothian Council has an evidence base on which to develop policies and address the challenges faced in local housing.

"The data will collect information on house prices, rents and energy efficiency ratings to help inform policies and funding bids to help reduce fuel poverty as well as how we develop affordable housing across the county.

"We will also be carrying out research into the experience of low to medium income renters in the county so that we can better support tenants and landlords to ensure that housing in East Lothian is affordable, energy efficient and of high quality.”

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