Housing Statistics for Scotland Quarterly Update (published 1 Dec 2015)

Key Points

New Build Housing - All Sectors:

• There were 3,653 new build homes completed between April and June 2015; 22% down on the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end June 2015 to 15,258, down 5% (719 homes) compared to the 15,977 completed in the previous year.
• There were 3,846 new build homes started between April and June 2015; 6% up on the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end June 2015 to 16,427 which is up by 6% (934 homes) compared to the 15,493 homes started in the previous year.

New Build Housing - Private-led Housing:

• Between April and June 2015, 3,229 private sector led homes were completed; 13% down on the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end June 2015 to 11,549 - down by 4% (454 homes) on the 12,003 completions in the previous year.
• There were 3,326 private sector led starts between April and June 2015, 7% up on the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end June 2015 to 12,530, 5% (550 homes) higher than the 11,980 starts in the previous year.

New Build Housing - Social Sector Housing (Housing Association and Local Authority combined):

• There were 424 social housing completions between April and June 2015; less than half compared with the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end June 2015 to 3,709. This is decrease of 7% on the 3,974 completions the previous year.
• Meanwhile 520 social sector homes were started between April and June 2015; down 3% on the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the 12 months to end June 2015 to 3,897; up 11% on the previous year.
• More up-to-date figures show that, in July to September 2015, 895 social sector homes were completed (23% more than the 725 completions in the same quarter in 2014), and 508 were started (down by 26% on the same quarter in 2014). This brings the total completions for the 12 months to end September to 3,879 (an increase of 10% on the 3,540 social sector homes completed in the previous year). Total starts over the 12 months to end September are now at 3,703 (2% lower than the 3,779 started in the previous year).

New Build Housing - Housing Association Homes:

• There were 180 housing association completions between April and June 2015; less than a third compared with the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end June 2015 to 2,567. This is a 11% (315 homes) decrease on the 2,882 completions the previous year.
• There were 179 housing association approvals between April and June 2015; down 21% on the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end June 2015 to 2,586. This is an increase of 1% (31 homes) on the 2,555 approvals in the previous year.
• More up-to-date figures show that a total of 700 Housing Association homes were completed between July to September 2015, a 59% increase on the 439 homes completed in the same period in 2014. This brings the total completions for the 12 months to end September 2015 to 2,828, which is an increase of 10% on the 2,560 homes completed in the previous year. A total of 288 Housing Association homes were approved between July to September 2015 (down by 4% on the same quarter in 2014). This brings the total approvals for the 12 months to end September to 2,574, a 1% decrease on the 2,602 approvals in the previous year.

New Build Housing - Local Authority Homes:

• There were 244 local authority completions between April and June 2015, which is 6% lower than the number that were completed in the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end June 2015 to 1,142. This is a 5% (50 homes) increase on the 1,092 completions the previous year.
• There were 341 local authority starts between April and June 2015; 10% higher than the number in the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end June 2015 to 1,311. This is a 37% (353 homes) increase on the 958 starts in the previous year.
• More up-to-date figures show that, in July to September 2015, 195 local authority houses were completed (a 32% decrease on the same quarter in 2014), and 220 were started (down by 45% on the same quarter in 2014). This brings the total completions for the year to end September to 1,051, 7% higher than the 980 completions in the previous year. Total starts for the 12 months to end September now stands at 1,129 which is a decrease of 4% on the 1,177 social sector homes completed in the previous year.

Affordable Housing Supply - up to end September 2015

Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) statistics reflect the broader supply of affordable homes (i.e. for social rent, affordable rent and affordable home ownership) and include off-the-shelf purchases and rehabilitations as well as new build.

• The latest quarterly statistics for the year to end September 2015 show that affordable housing supply completions have totalled 6,912 for the year up to September 2015, up 7% on the previous year. This includes an increase in affordable rent completions (up by 13% or 122 homes), and social rent completions (up by 9% or 352 homes), while affordable home ownership completions figures have been stable. Total starts are down 26% on the previous year to 5,487, while approvals are down 10% on the previous year to 6,465.

Affordable Housing Supply - up to end October 2015

As a one-off, to help inform progress in meeting a target in a timely way, the findings in this publication include an update for the month of October, on affordable housing completions in relation to the Scottish Government target to deliver 30,000 affordable homes, 20,000 social rented homes, and 5,000 council homes between 2011-12 and 2015-16.

• Including preliminary figures for the month of October 2015, there were a total of 30,133 affordable housing completions between April 2011 and end-October 2015, a figure which exceeds the target by 133 homes. Social rented completions during this time period totalled 20,400 exceeding the target by 400 homes, and council house completions totalled 5,292 exceeding the target by 292 homes.

Right to Buy Applications and Sales:

• Following the announcement of the end of Right to Buy in July 2013 the number of applications and the number of sales both increased. The most recent figures available are for April to June 2015. During this period there were 1,099 Right to Buy applications (25% higher than in the same quarter the previous year, and 57% higher than in the same quarter in 2013) and 320 sales (5% lower than in the same quarter in the previous year, but 40% higher than in the same quarter in 2013).

Long Term Empty Properties and Second Homes

• The total number of long term empty properties and second homes has increased by 3,973 properties (7%) from 59,763 in 2014 to 63,736 in 2015, but is 4% lower than the figure of 66,053 in 2012.