Maybe it’s my day job, but upon learning more than 1,000 homes in Dundee lie empty, the potential solutions seem clear.

You’ve guessed it – putting them to auction was one of them, but there are plenty of possibilities.

In an ideal world, Dundee City Council would use the money it levies from us to renovate every empty home, even the ones it doesn’t own, and solve the problem of people living in the purgatory of temporary accommodation.

They number 431 households as of March 21 2025.

This week it emerged that 27 of the total “long-term empty” homes (LTEs) were council houses, with 16 empty for 12 months or more due to extensive damage or fire.

Meanwhile, a further 374 council properties were deemed as “voids” in September 2025, meaning they are currently unoccupied or between tenants but not yet considered LTEs.

But the local authority can’t do what I’ve suggested any time soon – because it has no surplus to spend.

It is staring down the barrel of a £15.6m shortfall in its attempts to balance next year’s budget.

We can either wait for them to fix the damp, the mould and fire damage preventing tenancy, while people live in uncertainty and often unsuitable conditions, or we can care and take action.

Members of Dundee........

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