Number of properties factored in Scotland: FOI release

Information requested

You asked for the number of properties factored in Scotland broken down as follows:

1. An overall number
2. By city location

Response

In relation to your first request, the Scottish Government does not hold up to date information that you have requested. However, the responsible person for each registered property factor is required under the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011 (the Act) to update their property list annually between the 1 April and the 30 June with property details that they factored at any point between the 1 April and the 31 March the previous financial year. The most recent information we hold relates to property that was factored between 1 April 2018 and the 31 March 2019 and this figure is 648,477.

In relation to your second request, while our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. Under the terms of section 17(1) of FOISA (information not held), the Scottish Government is not required to provide information which it does not have. The Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested because there is no requirement under the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011 keep records of the total number of properties factored in each city in Scotland.

The definition of property factor is available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2011/8/section/2

Section 3(6) of the Act places a duty on the responsible person (defined at section 3(9) of the Act) when making an application to enter the register of property factors in accordance with section 3 of the Act to ensure that the information they specify in that application is true to the best of their knowledge. Section 7(7) of the Act places a duty on the responsible person (defined at section 3(9) of the Act) when giving notice to Scottish Ministers under section 7(3)(a-b) of the 2011 Act to ensure that the information they specify in that notice is true to the best of their knowledge.

About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.