We rent out long-term homes in Mull for people in housing need. Rents are in line with local social housing, the houses are economical to heat, and every let is a Private Residential Tenancy, so it is a permanent home rather than a holiday let.
The shortage of homes for permanent occupation in Mull and Iona is raised as the biggest challenge at every community consultation about the islands’ future.
Who the homes are for
Priority goes to people in housing need who live in the islands. Past developments have covered family sized homes as well as smaller homes for young people and for older members of the community.
How to apply
- Register with HomeArgyll, the local social housing register used by every housing association covering Mull, Iona and Ulva. The register also gives direct contact details for each association if you have a question for one of them.
- Get in touch with us if you want to talk through your situation or ask about a specific property.
TO CONFIRM: The HomeArgyll web address is not given anywhere on the old site. Needs the correct link before this page goes live.
What happens next
Each development has its own allocation policy, drawn up and agreed locally by community members alongside MICT and, where relevant, other local bodies. The policies are points based and prioritise housing need. Applications are shortlisted against that policy, so decisions are not made on a first-come basis. Demand is high: the four Ulva Ferry homes completed in 2021 drew 31 applications.
West Highland Housing Association helps with allocations, offers advice to tenants and provides out-of-hours management.
TO CONFIRM: No allocation policy is published on the old site. Applicants cannot currently see how they will be scored. Needs either the policy document or a plain English summary of the points system.
What is available now
TO CONFIRM: The old site carries nothing about current availability. This page needs either a list of homes available to let, a statement that there are none and how to be told when there are, or a link to where vacancies are advertised. This is the single most common reason people will come to this page.
Our homes
- Two family homes at Ulva Ferry, built to passive house standard and completed in 2017. Heating bills for tenants come to less than £350 a year.
- Four more homes at Ulva Ferry, built using modular construction and handed over in May 2021.
- Pennyghael Schoolhouse, bought in 2021 and renovated with an air source heating system.
That brought the portfolio to seven properties in 2022.
TO CONFIRM: Confirm the current number of properties before publishing.
How the homes are managed
MICT is a registered private landlord, registration number 433596/130/01531, and a member of the Scottish Association of Landlords. We carry out all our own housing management, overseen by a Steering Group of MICT Directors and community members, with support from West Highland Housing Association.
Wider housing work
Alongside letting our own homes we work on the supply of housing across both islands:
- Applying Rural Housing Burdens to properties, which we can do as a designated Rural Housing Body. These keep a property affordable long term and require owners to live in it as their permanent home.
- Encouraging owners of long-term empty properties to bring them back into permanent occupation.
- Exploring opportunities for new croft creation.
- Working with private landowners on their own affordable housing plans, such as Glengorm.
- Responding to Scottish Government, Council and national agency consultations on housing policy, from controls on short-term lets and second homes to new planning legislation.
- Making the case for worker accommodation. A feasibility study found 133 unfilled vacancies in the islands and 127 people living in unsuitable accommodation. A follow-up economic impact assessment found that meeting that need could grow the islands’ economy by £20.1m gross value added a year and nearly 400 jobs within 20 years. You can read the Economic Impact Assessment executive summary and the key worker housing research report.
We have also run drop-in housing information sessions with staff from ACHA, West Highland Housing Association and MICT on hand to help with HomeArgyll applications.
If you have a property, land or a staff housing problem
We would like to hear from you if you have an underused property you would consider renting out, if you are selling and want the house to stay permanently occupied, if your business needs accommodation for staff, or if you are a landowner interested in crofting opportunities.
Contact Helen MacDonald on 01680 812 912 or email hmacdonald@mict.co.uk.
TO CONFIRM: The old pages give three different direct numbers for the housing post (01680 812 912, 01680 812 918 and 01680 812 900) and the current team page lists Kate Payton as Housing Project Officer rather than Helen MacDonald. Confirm the right name and number.
The housing projects
The story of how each development was funded and built is on its own page: Ulva Ferry Housing Phase 1, Ulva Ferry Housing Phase 2, Pennyghael Schoolhouse and Worker Accommodation.
TO CONFIRM: These four links assume the project record slugs above. Check them against the project records before import.