Housing statistics quarterly update: December 2018

New Build Housing – Private-led – up to end June 2018

The private sector is the biggest contributor to overall house building, accounting for just under four-fifths (74%) of all homes completed in the 12 months to end June 2018.

Chart 5: Annual private sector led new build starts and completions, years to end June, 2008 to 2018

Chart 6: Quarterly new build starts and completions (private-led), since 2007 up to end June 2018

Trends over the last ten years – private sector

In 2008 (year to end June) the number of private sector homes started was just over 20,200, while completions were just under 20,000. Private sector led new build housing was hit particularly hard by the recession. The number of homes completed dropped steeply between 2008 and 2010 then continued to decrease more gradually to just over 9,900 in 2013. Since then, the number of homes completed has increased each year, except for the latest year, bringing completions to just under 13,500 in the year to end June 2018.

In September 2013 the Scottish Government introduced the Help to Buy (Scotland) scheme which has aimed to support buyers purchasing a new build home and to stimulate the house building industry. Following this, the Help to Buy (Scotland) Affordable New Build and Help to Buy (Scotland) Smaller Developers schemes were launched on 21 January 2016. Further information on the schemes, along with monitoring information setting out numbers of sales, is available at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/BuyingSelling/help-to-buy.

Trends to end June 2018 – private sector

Between April and June 2018, 4,145 private sector led homes were completed; 9% more (357 homes) than the same quarter in 2017. This brings the total for the year to end June 2018 to 13,494 which is 2% less (229 homes) than the 13,723 completions in the previous year.

There were 3,539 private sector led starts between April and June 2018, 19% less than (855 homes) than the same quarter in 2017. This brings the total for the year ending June 2018 to 12,686 which is 11% less (1,593 homes) than the 14,279 starts in the previous year.

Sub-national figures for the year to end June 2018 – private sector

Map B shows the rates per 10,000 head of population (based on the latest mid-2017 population estimates) of private sector led new build completions in each local authority for the year to end June 2018.

The highest completion rates have been in East Lothian, Midlothian, Renfrewshire, Aberdeen City and Highland. The lowest rates meanwhile, have been in Angus, Inverclyde, Argyll & Bute and North Ayrshire.

Map B: New building housing – Private sector completions: rates per 10,000 population, year to end June 2018