Affordable Housing Investment Benchmarks

Scottish Government have uprated affordable housing investment benchmark levels with the change to take immediate effect. Any tender applications which have been submitted but not yet approved will be immediately considered using the updated benchmarks. The changes are summarised below and detailed in the document linked here. This also includes information on the additional quality measure benchmarks.

AHSP Area Teams and TMDF Authorities are communicating directly with delivery partners, so you should also be hearing from your local partners directly.

Scottish Government have also reiterated that benchmarks are only used to determine the way that grant applications are assessed, and that they are not grant rates or grant ceilings. This includes Section 75 developments.  

RSL Social - 3 person equivalent

RSL MMR - 3 person equivalent

The October 24 figures have been adjusted using the Scottish Social Housing Tender Price Index covering the 2024 calendar year. This has led to a 4.6% increase across all benchmarks, except for the benchmark related to zero direct emissions heating systems (+24.7%). The higher increase is based on an average £12k installation cost at a 51% grant level.

The benchmark for digitally enabling a home will also only be applied in cases where there is a charge for the work required to install the network infrastructure.  

SFHA are currently looking at benchmarks in more detail - we will discuss this as part of the discussions at the upcoming Development Forum on the 25th March. You can sign up here.

Please also feel free to share any views/evidence with us at this stage, by email to Tom Ockendon at tockendon@sfha.co.uk.