1. The Rural Housing Fund Community empowerment at forefront
Rural area projects only
The Scottish Government have launched the Rural Housing Fund which is funding to increase the availability of affordable housing in rural areas.
The aim of the Rural Housing Fund is to empower communities and help meet their affordable housing needs in rural areas where mainstream affordable housing providers may not be able to deliver.
Rural areas are defined in the guidance notes which can be found online, details at the end of the presentation.
As Aberdeenshire Council do not operate or administer this scheme, this is only an overview and full contact details will be given at the end.

2. Projects funded New build properties Converting buildings into houses
Bring empty properties back into use
Must be affordable for sale or rent
The Rural Housing Fund is aimed at affordable housing for sale or rent. Types of properties can be new build, conversion of buildings into housing or bringing empty properties back into use.

3. Rural Housing Fund - Funding
Made up of 2 parts - Feasibility Fund and Main Fund
Feasibility Fund is grant up to £10,000
Main fund is mix of grant and loan
There are 2 parts to the Rural Housing Fund.
There is a Feasibility Fund which is grant funding available of up to £10,000. This may be used when a site or property has been identified for a potential project, and for example, to pay for architects drawings, Quantity Surveyor’s estimates, community engagement, or fund a robust business plan to assess if any potential project may be viable at an early stage etc. This does not have to be paid back.
The main fund is made up of part loan and part grant. If grant funding is used for housing then the house has to be kept affordable in perpetuity. If it is a loan, then the house has to be affordable for at least 10 years or until the loan is paid back, whichever is longest.

4. Rent and Sale price levels
Rent – No higher than local Housing Allowance levels (LHA)
Sale – Prices in line with Open Market Shared Equity scheme (OMSE) thresholds set by Scottish Government
Tenants – must be identified as in need of affordable housing
If the property is for affordable rent then this must be no higher than LHA rates. These can be found on Aberdeenshire Council website. For example, a 2 bed property in most of Aberdeenshire the LHA level is £
If the property is for sale then the maximum price that can be asked is the 4 apartment maximum thresholds price that has been set for OMSE. These levels can be found on the Scottish Govt. website, and vary by administrative area. In North Aberdeenshire, for example, a 3 bedroom house (classed as 4 apartments) would be sold at the maximum threshold price of £130,000.
The applicants will also have to show a mechanism of how they intend to identify target tenants for these properties – i.e. a process of assessing their affordability levels and needs, and allocations.

5. Who can apply? Community Groups/Organisation Development Trusts
Registered Charities
Private landowning bodies
Private developers
Funding is available to community groups/organisations, development trusts, registered charities, private landowning bodies, private developers, etc. to apply for. Housing associations may apply for the grant element but this must be justified as there are other sources of funding normally available to them.
Collaborative working is strongly encouraged as it means that expertise and resources can be shared, and best value for money achieved.

6. Housing Information Local demand and need Waiting list information
Stock levels and relet information
For any application to the RHF, applicants would be expected to have discussions with the Local Authority as their support is required for any project.
The Housing Service would be happy to proved information to inform and support potential projects by advising of housing need and demand in the area from waiting list figures. We can also advise on the current stock available and relet figures for the last few years. This type of information would demonstrate whether there is an identified need for their project.

7. Contacts & further info
Derek Logie –
This presentation is only a very brief overview of the Rural Housing Fund scheme and does not list the full criteria for applying and eligibility.
Further information can be obtained on the above website, where you will also find comprehensive guidance notes.
Derek Logie can help with any query for the feasibility bid.

8. RHF Seminar
Rural Housing Fund Seminar – Gordon House, Inverurie, 29th September am to 12pm. To register for it:
There is a free seminar at Gordon House in Inverurie on 29th September 2016, from 10am to 12 pm. The Scottish Government will provide information about the fund to local organisations, including what kind of project is eligible, how to apply and how much grant is available. Rural Housing Scotland will give details of how communities in other parts of Scotland have developed affordable housing and the support available to communities in Aberdeenshire to undertake their own projects.
Please register your attendance at this seminar using the above link.