What is the crofting system?
Table of Contents
What is the crofting system?
Crofting is a land tenure system of small scale food producers unique to the Scottish Highlands and Islands. It provides tenants with security provided they pay their rent, live on or near their croft and work the land.
What does the Crofting Commission do?
Under the Crofting Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, the Crofting Commission is responsible for crofting regulation in Scotland. We’re responsible for the registration of crofts.
What is a crofting family?
More than 750,000 hectares of land in Scotland is in crofting tenure, with approximately 33,000 people living in crofting households. A croft is a relatively small agricultural land holding, which is normally held in tenancy, and which may or may not have buildings or a house associated with it.
How do crofters make a living?
Most crofters don’t make a living from the land, but have other sources of income as well, such as part-time or full-time employment, or running their own businesses.
How much do crofters earn?
The Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme (CAGS) pays up to £25,000 per claim in any two-year period, covering 80% of investment costs for those who are under 41 and have had their croft less than five years. Older, more established crofters can get 60% grants.
When did crofting begin?
The crofting system of tenure was first introduced into Lewis by the Seaforth proprietor about 1814 and the district of Pairc was first lotted about 1818-19.
What does registering a croft mean?
Last updated 24 Sep 2020. The Crofting Register is a public list of crofts, common grazings and land held runrig. Runrig is land that’s divided into strips, with each strip belonging to a different person. The register shows each area of land on a map and gives information on the tenant and owner of the land.
Can you get a mortgage for a croft?
A croft is a piece of land sometimes rented from a land owner, and since the 1970s crofters have had a right to buy their crofts. In order to acquire a croft, whether or not it is a tenancy or owner-occupied, the purchaser has to come up with 100% of the funds. There are no mortgages available to buy the land.
What is a crofters house called?
A croft is a small agricultural unit. The person who lives on the croft is called a crofter. A croft is the land, not the house the crofter lives in. Crofts are usually rented. They are often part of large estates where the landowner is the crofter’s landlord.
What are the crofting counties?
In practice, this meant a small area of agricultural land (with or without a house), held on a tenancy and situated in one of the seven Crofting Counties: Argyll, Caithness, Inverness, Orkney, Ross and Cromarty, Sutherland and Zetland (Shetland).
Can I build a house on a croft?
Crofting legislation entitles a crofter to build a croft house on the croft, subject to planning consent. In almost every case the croft house must be provided by the crofter themselves.
Do crofters pay rent?
As a crofter, you only pay rent for the land. You don’t pay rent for any house, buildings, fences, roads or other structures on the land because they belong to you. If you can’t agree on the rent with your landlord, you have the right to apply to the Land Court for a fair rent to be set.
How do you get into crofting?
You can become a crofter by:
- buying a croft – that is presently owner-occupied and becoming an owner-occupier.
- becoming a tenant – for example, renting a vacant croft or a crofter transfers their tenancy to you.
- subletting – from a tenant crofter for a limited time.
What makes a croft a croft?
A croft is the land, not the house the crofter lives in. Crofts are usually rented. They are often part of large estates where the landowner is the crofter’s landlord. Sometimes crofters buy their crofts.
What is a crofters cottage called?
RM D7YD9D–A traditional crofters cottage known as a blackhouse with thatched roof on the Isle of North Uist, Western Isles, Scotland.
Can you make money from crofting?
When did crofting start in Scotland?
