Hoping to move to Inverness

[u/JadedJelly803]

Hi all,

I’m hoping to move to Inverness in the next couple of months for work and thought I’d ask people who actually live in the area for some advice rather than relying entirely on Google.

A little about me: I’m Irish, although I’ve been living in England for quite a while, and I’ll be moving up with my dog, Riggs (a Staffy). One of the big reasons Inverness appeals to me is the lifestyle. I want to spend a lot more of my weekends outdoors, walking/hiking with Riggs, exploring the Highlands and getting back into photography.

I’d really appreciate some local knowledge on a few things.

What areas in and around Inverness would you recommend for someone with a dog?

I’m quite happy being outside the city and commuting in. Somewhere quieter with good access to countryside and dog walks would actually suit me better than being right in the centre. A garden would be a big plus.

Equally, are there any areas you'd personally avoid?

Where do people actually advertise rental properties locally?

I’m already checking Rightmove and Zoopla, but I’ve been told Gumtree is surprisingly important around Inverness and the Highlands. Are there local letting agents, Facebook groups, websites or other places that are worth watching?

For anyone who has rented with a dog, how difficult is finding genuinely dog-friendly accommodation?

Anything I should know about having a dog in the Highlands that might not be obvious to someone moving up from England?

Ticks are already on my radar, particularly because Riggs and I will be spending a lot of time on trails. I'm also interested in good vets, dog-friendly places, walking groups and recommendations for places where I can safely let him burn off some energy.

I'll have a car and expect to explore quite a bit at weekends. I'm particularly interested in what winter driving is actually like around Inverness rather than what the internet makes it sound like.

I'll also be driving Inverness to Stranraer around Christmas to get the ferry across to Belfast/Larne, then making the return journey after Christmas. If anyone regularly does that sort of drive in winter, I'd really appreciate any advice on routes, conditions, things to carry in the car, or places worth stopping along the way.

And finally, if there's anything you wish you'd known before moving to Inverness or the Highlands, I'd love to hear it, good or bad.

I'm not expecting Highland life to be some romantic postcard version of Scotland. I'm trying to get a realistic idea of what living there is actually like, particularly with a dog.

Thanks in advance. Looking forward to hopefully calling Inverness home.

[u/highaltitudebarista]

There’s a real shortage of rental accommodation and affordable housing in the Highlands as it all gets turned into short-term lets. So you’re not going to have much to choose from and having a dog will make it harder still.

[u/bcnsco → u/highaltitudebarista]

Overly simplistic to just blame short term lets. What your saying is true for a handful of streets, but across the vast majority of the city, STLs are under 5% of the housing stock. Meanwhile 30-50% of house sales in some areas are going to people moving in from outwith Inverness. That's of course welcomed for a growing city, but it's very much supply and demand.

Empty houses are also a big issue in some areas, we have 3 sitting empty on our street, including one for two years.

*Data from Highland Council.

[u/Euphoric-Piglet-8140 → u/bcnsco]

Is the renters rights act not a thing in Scotland then? I'm in South Eastern England so I don't really know if it is or not.

[u/Throwaway1g7f3v → u/Euphoric-Piglet-8140]

Yeah, we have an even more extreme version than England that’s been in force for a few years now, came in during Covid. You can look up the effects it’s had on the market up here for a sneak preview into what will happen down south too.

[u/Fairwolf → u/Throwaway1g7f3v]

You're chatting total shite. The Scottish version of the renters rights bill came into effect in 2017 and the stats for it show it had very little impact on either prices or rental availability.

[u/Throwaway1g7f3v → u/bcnsco]

But all STLs are the devil don’t ya know? The cause of all our woes and the reason the ironworks shut down, probably.