What is Social Housing?
Social housing includes housing provided by Highland Council and its partner Housing Associations in Highland. This section explains how you can apply for this type of housing, where properties are located and how they are allocated.
Highland Council as a local authority is the biggest landlord in the Highlands. Other social housing is provided by Housing Associations (sometimes referred as Registered Social Landlords or RSLs).
What is a Housing Association?
There are four local and 6 national housing associations (HAs) in the Highland Council area providing a range of accommodation. They are: Cairn Housing Association; Albyn Housing Society; Lochaber Housing Association; Pentland Housing Association; Lochalsh & Skye Housing Association; Margaret Blackwood Housing Association; Hanover Housing Association; Trust Housing Association; Link Housing Association and Key Housing Association.
There are over 200 housing associations in Scotland registered with the Scottish Government. Registered housing associations are usually non-profit making friendly societies, although there are a few exceptions. They are run by professional staff, but controlled by voluntary management committees. Housing associations get grants from the Scottish Government towards the costs of building homes for rent or shared ownership. It is important to recognise that nowadays housing associations are the main providers of new and affordable housing opportunities for local people in housing need.
| Return to Table of Contents
| Return to "Do you want to find out about renting social housing from the council or a housing association?"