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

New Build Housing - Private-led Housing

The private sector is the biggest contributor to overall house building, accounting for almost three-quarters (76%) of all homes completed in the 12 months to end June 2015.

Chart 5: Annual private sector led new build starts and completions, years to end June, 2016 to 2015

Chart 6: Quarterly new build starts and completions (Private-Led), since 2005

Trends over the last ten years:

Between 2006 and 2008 (years to end June) the number of homes started and completed both remained fairly steady at around 20,000-24,000 each year. The private sector was hit particularly hard by the recession. The number of homes completed dropped steeply throughout 2009 and 2010 then continued to decrease more gradually to under 10,000 in 2013. There was an increase in 2014, bringing completions through the year to around 12,000 and the 2015 figure is slightly lower at around 11,500.

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. Further information on the scheme, along with monitoring information setting out numbers of sales, is available at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/BuyingSelling/help-to-buy/MonthlyStats

Trends to end June 2015:

Between April and June 2015, 3,229 private sector led homes were completed; 13% down on the same quarter in 2014 (see Chart 6).

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.

Meanwhile 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.

Sub-national figures for the year to end June 2015:

Map B shows the rates per 10,000 head of population of private sector led new build completions in each local authority for the year to end June 2014.

The highest completion rates have been in Midlothian, Aberdeenshire and Shetland Islands. The lowest rates meanwhile have been in Dundee City and South Ayrshire.

Map B: New build housing - private sector completions: rates per 10,000 population, year to end June 2015