Property Factors (Scotland) Act data: FOI release
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
Information requested
Year by year from 2011, when the Property Factors (Scotland) Act was introduced up until the present date (17.01.2025). Please supply in CSV or Excel format when possible.
1. How many property factors are there in total?
a) Please break this down year-by-year
2. What is the average factor fee people are paying per quarter? Please break this down year-by-year.
a) What is the range of fees (smallest to largest?)
3. How many property factors have been struck off in total? Please also break down year by year.
a) How many property factors have been struck off the property factor register as a direct result of failing to comply with a PFEO?
b) How many property factors have been struck off the property factor register as a direct result of having failed to comply with the Code of Conduct for property factors?
c) How many property factors have been struck off the property factors register as a direct result of the property factor no longer being considered a fit and proper person to be a property factor?
4. Can you provide a list of all property factors currently operating and the postcode/town they cover?
Response
I enclose a copy of most of the information you requested in Excel spreadsheets, as requested. Two of these spreadsheets also contain clarifications on the data presented.
In respect of question 2 (Average factor fees people are paying), the Scottish Government does not have the information you have asked for because this is not part of the information that Property Factors are required to provide as part of their application to the Property Factor Register nor are they required to provide this as part of the update each registered Property Factor must complete on an annual basis.
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
In respect of question 4 (List of Property Factors currently operating and the postcode/town they cover), while our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
Property Factors are required to provide a list of properties and land parcels that they factor, if any, whenever they submit an application to the Property Factor Register and are also required to complete an Annual Update of the properties and land parcels that they factor, if any. The Annual Update is completed between April and June each year. Any information that is provided during this period may become outdated as homeowners change their Property Factor and as the next Annual Update awaits.
We have, however, provided the information that we do hold. This spreadsheet lists the post codes that have been given for the properties that each Property Factor has indicated that they are factoring in the Annual Update from 2024 and also lists the town/city for each land parcel that each Property Factor has indicated that they are factoring in the Annual Update from 2024, on a separate worksheet. This information will also contain a very small number of updates from applications that have occurred between the Annual Update from 2024 and today.
Please also note that a Property Factor's registration with the Property Factor Register permits a Property Factor to offer factoring services throughout the whole of Scotland. This is different from a registration on the Landlord Register which only permits a landlord to rent out a property within the local authority that they are registered with.
About FOI
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Contact
Please quote the FOI reference
Central Correspondence Unit
Email: contactus@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG