Croft House

Croft House Grant

As one of the three duties of a crofter is to be ordinarily resident on, or within 32 kilometres of their croft, housing for crofters is vital. A crofter of a bare land croft (one without a suitable house on it already) has the right to build a house on their croft, subject to planning permission. Crofting plays a significant role in the demographic of the Highlands and Islands, forming villages and communities in many rural areas.

Scottish Government: Croft House Grant

The Scottish Government’s ‘Croft House Grant’ Scheme provides grants for crofters to build new homes and to improve and maintain the standards of crofter housing, with the aim of attracting and retaining people within the crofting counties.

There are two types of assistance available; a new house grant, and a rebuilding and improvement grant. Depending on location, these grants can be up to a maximum of £38,000.

For Full Scheme Guidance, go to the Scottish Government Rural Payments and Services website. To access the website online, please click on the hyperlink Croft House Grant (ruralpayments.org)

To contact your local office, go to the ‘Contact Us’ section, which lists all Area Offices across Scotland. Please click on the hyperlink Contact us (ruralpayments.org)

Please note that most mortgages lenders will not typically offer mortgages for properties which are in crofting tenure.

Other sources of information, guidance and funding:

There are other organisations, which provide information, guidance and funding support for households in Scotland.

Scottish Government: Self-building a Home

To access information on Self-building a Home, click on the hyperlink Self-building a home - mygov.scot

Home Energy Scotland 

Home Energy Scotland helps people in Scotland create warmer homes, reduce their energy bills, and lower their carbon footprint.

Home Energy Scotland has a network of regional centres covering all of Scotland, which offer local knowledge and expert advice on a range of topics, including, ‘saving energy and keeping warm at home.' There is information on funding options, including Scottish Government grants and interest free loans.

To find out what is available, please click on the hyperlink Home - Home Energy Scotland

Energy Saving Trust Scotland    

‘We want to help you save money on your bills, at the same time as reducing your carbon footprint. So, whether that involves being more energy efficient, generating your own renewable energy, switching to a green tariff or insulating your home to keep the heat in, we’ve got advice and information to help.’

To access further information on the website, please click on the hyperlink  Home - Energy Saving Trust

Citizens Advice Scotland 

Scotland's Citizens Advice Helpline 0800 028 1456 offers free, one-to-one and impartial, general advice on employment, housing, debt, benefits and consumer issues, like energy bills, as well as many other topics.

Open Monday - Friday, 9am to 5pm. To access the CAS website, please click on the hyperlink Home repairs, improvements and adaptations - Citizens Advice Scotland