Posts

Case Study: Chance Inn Development- Inverkeilor, Angus

/in /by

A new affordable housing development has opened in the Angus village of Inverkeilor and is already attracting interest from prospective tenants.

The impressive conversion of the former Chance Inn includes six apartments, a communal courtyard and parking. Developer Carling Property Group said there was already “a strong amount of interest” locally in what will be a boost to the area’s affordable housing stock.

Called New Chance Inn Court, the development will also include one detached and two semi-detached homes, due to open later this year.

Funding for the £900,000 project came partly from a £300,000 grant from the Scottish Government’s Rural Housing Fund, which aims to increase the supply of affordable housing in rural Scotland.

Dundee-based Carling Property Group, the company behind New Chance Inn Court, has a track record of providing high-quality housing, mainly through existing building conversions.

Co-founder Graeme Carling, a strong advocate for affordable housing, hit the headlines this week with his views on the state of the private rental sector.

Graeme said:

“The strong amount of interest we have received in New Chance Inn Court already, through emails, phone calls and letters, proves that this development fills a need locally. We’re grateful to the Rural Housing Fund for helping with this project, and we’re excited about the second phase opening later this year.

“We feel strongly that good quality accommodation should become the norm in the private rental sector, no matter where in the country people live or how much they earn.”

Carling Property Group, run by husband and wife Graeme and Leanne Carling, owns and manages 350 rental properties all over Scotland, mostly in the Dundee and Angus area. The award-winning company is Scotland’s largest private residential landlord.

Scotland’s largest independent private landlord speaks out on ‘cradle-to-grave’ renting

/in /by

Scotland’s largest independent residential landlord has spoken out on one of the property sector’s hottest topics – so-called ‘cradle-to-grave’ renting.

In an article in today’s Herald newspaper, Graeme Carling, co-founder of Carling Property Group, slams the negative way in which renting is perceived by members of the public and the media.

“In everything from casual conversation to newspaper reports, when it comes to stories about people renting their home, the language is subtle, the message clear. Renting is frowned upon, while home ownership is held up as some sort of holy grail,” he writes, adding: “Even the phrase ‘property ladder’ implies there’s something to escape, and if we’re not careful we’ll fall back into it.”

Graeme applauds a recent report from the Resolution Foundation which demands reforms in the private rental sector. And he sets out his views on how he thinks private landlord regulations could be tightened up to address “part-time landlords”.

But he cautions: “Renting is here to stay, and a massive cultural shift is ahead of us. It’s time public perception changed, and private landlords stepped up to the plate. All of us need to start treating renting seriously.”

Graeme’s comments came in the same week that he announced the opening of a new affordable housing development, in Angus. Funding for the £900,000 project, which features apartments and, still to come, houses, came partly from a £300,000 grant from the Scottish Government’s Rural Housing Fund, which aims to increase the supply of affordable housing in rural Scotland.

Carling Property Group, run by entrepreneurs Graeme and Leanne Carling, owns and manages 350+ rental properties all over Scotland, making it Scotland’s largest private residential landlord. The Carlings also head up United Capital, a new player in the financial investment sector.

Read the full article in The Herald here.