Fife tenants saved from eviction after council agrees to buy houses from property firm

Fife Council is to buy homes in two villages to prevent tenants from losing their homes after eviction proceedings.

Nearly 20 households in West Wemyss and Denbeath were issued notices in January after it emerged their landlord, Torah Capital, planned to sell the properties.

Residents launched a mass tribunal to challenge the landlord’s actions, and councillors have now agreed to acquire 26 properties currently owned by the company, with the homes set to be brought into council ownership.

Edinburgh & East

‘I’m not going anywhere soon’: Tenants facing eviction prepare legal challenge

Seventeen households in the Fife villages of West Wemyss and Denbeath were issued eviction notices earlier this month.

The decision comes after weeks of uncertainty for tenants, some of whom recently received eviction notices after the properties were put up for sale following their acquisition by the investment firm from the Wemyss Estate earlier this year.

Fife Council, which will fund the purchase alongside the Scottish Government, previously called the move “scandalous and an outrage”.

Officials say the move will allow residents to remain in their homes while securing longer-term housing stability for the affected communities.

Housing spokesperson Cllr Judy Hamilton said the council had acted following early engagement with affected tenants.

She said: “I attended the very first meeting of the Wemyss tenants, following their eviction notices. At that stage, we did not know all the details; however, I gave the commitment, that we would protect the tenants.

“My priority is to protect people and prevent them from becoming homeless. I am pleased that officers have worked through all the challenges and this proposal allows us to step in at the right time, keep families in their homes and provide them with long-term stability.

“It also strengthens our housing stock and ensures we’re making the best use of available resources to support our communities.”

Council leaders said the intervention would also help reduce pressure on emergency accommodation services and support efforts to maintain established communities across the area.

Council leader Cllr David Ross said the situation had been “very difficult all round,” but described the decision as the “right thing to do”.

He added: “This has been a very difficult situation all round but especially for the tenants involved who have faced great uncertainty and the prospect of losing their homes.

“I am pleased that it has been agreed today that the Council should step in to buy these properties and that we have been able to fulfil our promise to protect the tenants.

“I welcome the contribution towards the purchase costs from the Scottish Government, but there will still be a significant cost falling on the Council both to purchase the properties and to undertake the work to bring them up to the standards we expect.

“Nevertheless, this is the right thing to do. This will end the uncertainty for tenants and help keep this community together.”

The council will now continue negotiations with the property owners, with the purchase subject to final legal agreements.