Housing statistics quarterly update: March 2020

1. Main Points

There were 21,805 new build homes completed across all sectors in Scotland in the year to end September 2019, an increase of 16%, or 2,972 homes, on the previous year, and the highest number of homes completed since 2008.

There have been increases across private-led completions (19% or 2,668 homes), housing association completions (6% or 230 homes) and local authority completions (5% or 74 homes).

There were 24,873 new build homes started across all sectors in Scotland in the year to end September 2019, a substantial increase of 4,876 homes (24%) on the previous year, and the highest number of homes started since 2007.

Private-led starts increased by 4,516 homes (34%), and local authority starts increased by 377 homes (22%), whilst housing association approvals decreased slightly by 17 homes (0.3%). The total number of homes started in the social sector across both housing associations and local authorities increased by 360 homes (5%).

In the year to end December 2019 there were a total of 9,317 homes delivered through the Scottish Government affordable housing supply programme, which includes off-the-shelf purchases and rehabilitations as well as new builds. This is an increase of 1%, or 61 homes, on the previous year, and is the highest annual figure since the start of the series in 2000.

In the same period, 11,829 affordable homes were approved, a decrease of 716 homes (6%) on the previous year, and 10,765 homes were started, an increase of 380 homes (4%) on the previous year.