Harper Macleod Completes Transfer of all Remaining Scottish Homes Housing Stock

Harper Macleod LLP, one of Scotlands leading social housing practices, has played a key role in the winding up of Scottish Homes, following the completed transfer of all the agencys remaining housing stock to a range of housing providers.

The firm has successfully completed twelve Large Scale Voluntary Transfers (LSVTs) under which approximately 1,500 properties have been transferred, thereby allowing Scottish Homes to successfully proceed towards wind-up.  The functions of Scottish Homes were largely transferred to Scottish Ministers, acting through Communities Scotland, in November 2002, with Scottish Homes becoming a Residuary Body.

The only firm in Scotland to achieve record growth of 130% in the past four years, Harper Macleod secured the highly competitive tender to provide legal services to Scottish Homes, taking on the work of the previous in-house Legal Services Department.  The firm acted in a wide range of matters including LSVTs, Tenants Choice Transfers, Right to Buy Sales, recoveries, compensation claims, management agreements, Loans, litigation and regulatory and general legal advice.

 Uniquely, the firm has acted in all of the successful Scottish local authority housing transfers to date. The firm also advises a large number of RSL and Local Authority clients in relation to a diverse range of housing and regeneration issues. 

In addition, Harper Macleod has acted for the majority of the institutional funders in the LSVT market and has hosted the highly successful Annual National Housing Conference for the past nine years, with the 9th Conference taking place later this year in Dunblane.

As part of its commitment to giving access to clear and practical specialist advice across the sector, Harper Macleod is the only firm in Scotland to offer its housing clients a Housing Retainer Scheme, affording clients preferential rates, telephone advice, client briefing workshops, regular Bulletins and briefing notes and in-house training.  The scheme runs for a twelve-month period and is renewable annually.  A unique Knowledge Bank is also available, providing Retainer clients with online access to a range of briefing notes and responses to frequently asked questions.

Professor Lorne Crerar, Managing Partner at Harper Macleod commented; "When we won the fiercely competitive tender for Scottish Homes, we secured our position as one of Scotlands leading legal players in the social housing and regeneration sector. As a Scottish firm committed to serving Scotland, it has been a privilege to handle work for Scottish Homes and we are delighted to have played a role in revolutionising the countrys provision of social housing."

Donald Bain, Scottish Homes Housing Transfer Project Manager said "Harper Macleod provided a first class legal service for Scottish Homes, negotiating the final transfer contracts and completing conveyancing to challenging timescales.  The tight timetable for winding up Scottish Homes meant that a big effort was required by all involved and Harper Macleod played a large part in making sure it all happened to plan."