Housing statistics quarterly update: September 2019

New Build Housing – Private-led – up to end March 2019

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 March 2019.

Chart 5: Annual private sector led new build starts and completions have both increased in the latest year, but are still below levels seen in 2007 and 2008 (years to end March)

Chart 6: Quarterly new build starts and completions (private-led), show a generally upward trend in the latest year, but with some quaterly volatility in the figures

Trends since 2007 – private sector

In 2008 (year to end March) the number of private sector homes started was around 20,100, while completions were just under 21,700. 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 under 9,900 in 2013. Since then, the number of homes completed has increased each year, until 2017, before decreasing slightly in 2018, and then increasing in the latest year ending March 2019 to 15,710.

It should be noted that levels of private-led new build activity in the January to March 2018 period may have been affected by the adverse cold weather during this period. This in turn may have impacted on the latest two annual financial year totals recorded, should some starts and completions that were planned for this period have been shifted from the final quarter of 2017/18 and into the first quarter of 2018/19.

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 and the characteristics of buyers, is available at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/BuyingSelling/help-to-buy.

Trends to end March 2019 – private sector

Between January and March 2019, 3,438 private sector led homes were completed; 22% more (613 homes) than the same quarter in 2018. This brings the total for the year to end March 2019 to 15,710 which is 21% more (2,679 homes) than the 13,031 completions in the previous year.

There were 3,922 private sector led starts between January and March 2019, 39% more (1,100 homes) than the same quarter in 2018. This brings the total for the year ending March 2019 to 16,045 which is 19% more (2,525 homes) than the 13,520 starts in the previous year.

Sub-national figures for the year to end March 2019 – private sector

Map B shows the rates per 10,000 head of population (based on the latest mid-2018 population estimates) of private sector led new build completions in each local authority for the year to end March 2019.

The highest completion rates have been in Midlothian, East Lothian, Perth & Kinross, Renfrewshire and Highland. The lowest rates meanwhile, have been in Dumfries & Galloway, Inverclyde, South Ayrshire and Argyll & Bute.