Housing statistics for Scotland quarterly update: June 2018

Key Points

New Build Housing – All Sectors – up to end December 2017

There were 4,344 new build homes completed between October and December 2017; a 7% decrease (313 homes) on the same quarter in 2016. This brings the total for the year to end December 2017 to 17,739, up 5% (806 homes) compared to the 16,933 completed in the previous year.

There were 4,483 new build homes started between October and December 2017, 3% more (151 homes) than the same quarter in 2016. This brings the total for the year to end December 2017 to 19,702 which is up by 8% (1,388 homes) compared to the 18,314 homes started in the previous year.

New Build Housing – Private-led Housing – up to end December 2017

Between October and December 2017, 3,352 private sector led homes were completed; 10% fewer (386 homes) than the same quarter in 2016. This brings the total for the year to end December 2017 to 13,750 which is 5% more (714 homes) than the 13,036 completions in the previous year.

There were 3,247 private sector led starts between October and December 2017, up 1% (35 homes) on the same quarter in 2016. This brings the total for the year ending December 2017 to 13,774, which is 4% (583 homes) more than the 13,191 starts in the previous year.

New Build Housing – Social Sector Housing (Housing Association and Local Authority combined) – up to end December 2017

There were 992 social housing completions between October and December 2017; 8% more than the same quarter in 2016. This brings the total for the year to end December 2017 to 3,989. This is a 2% increase on the 3,897 social sector completions in the previous year.

Meanwhile, 1,236 social sector homes were started between October and December 2017; 10% more than the same quarter in 2016. This brings the total for the year to end December 2017 to 5,928. This is a 16% increase on the 5,123 social sector starts in the previous year.

More up-to-date figures – up to end March 2018

Between January and March 2018, 1,707 social sector homes were completed (60% more than the 1,067 completions in the same quarter in 2017), and 3,314 were started (3% more than the same quarter in the previous year). This brings the total completions for the 12 months to end March 2018 to 4,629 (a 20% increase on the 3,866 social sector homes completed in the previous year). Total starts over the 12 months to end March 2018 are now at 6,036 (4% fewer than the 6,316 started in the previous year).

New Build Housing – Housing Association Homes – up to end December 2017

There were 544 housing association completions between October and December 2017, 6% less than the 580 completions in the same quarter in 2016. This brings the total for the year to end December 2017 to 2,489, an 8% (218 homes) decrease on the 2,707 completions over the previous year.

There were 710 housing association approvals between October and December 2017; 17% less than the 860 approvals in the same quarter in the previous year. This brings the total for the year to end December 2017 to 4,556. This is an increase of 25% (918 homes) on the 3,638 approvals in the previous year.

More up-to-date figures – up to end March 2018

A total of 1,382 Housing Association homes were completed between January and March 2018, 87% (641 homes) more completions than in the same period in the previous year. This brings the total completions for the 12 months to end March 2018 to 3,130, which is an increase of 14% on the 2,748 homes completed in the previous year. A total of 3,073 Housing Association homes were approved between January and March 2018, 5% more than the 2,917 approvals in the same quarter in 2017. This brings the total approvals for the 12 months to end March 2018 to 4,712, a 5% decrease on the 4,945 approvals in the previous year.

New Build Housing – Local Authority Homes – up to end December 2017

There were 448 local authority completions between October and December 2017, which is 32% more than the number that were completed in the same quarter in 2016. This brings the total for the year ending December 2017 to 1,500. This is a 26% (310 homes) increase on the 1,190 completions the previous year.

There were 526 local authority starts between October and December 2017; more than double the 260 homes started in the same quarter in 2016. This brings the total for year ending December 2017 to 1,372. This is an 8% (113 homes) decrease on the 1,485 starts in the previous year.

More up-to-date figures – up to end March 2018

Between January and March 2018, 325 local authority houses were completed (1 home less than the same quarter in the previous year), and 241 were started (17% fewer than in the same quarter in the previous year). This brings the total completions for the year to end March 2018 to 1,499, which is 34% more than the previous year. Total starts for the 12 months to end March 2018 now stands at 1,324 which is a decrease of 3% on the 1,371 local authority homes started in the previous year.

Affordable Housing Supply – up to end March 2018

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 builds.

The latest statistics for the year to end March 2018 show that affordable housing supply completions have totalled 8,534, up 16% (1,198 homes) on the previous year. This includes increases in social rent completions (up by 15% or 686 homes), affordable rent completions (up by 27% or 243 homes), and affordable home ownership completions (up by 14% or 269 homes).

There were 11,677 affordable housing approvals over the year up to end March 2018, up by 14% or 1,401 homes compared to the previous year. This includes increases affordable rent approvals (which have more than doubled, up by 1,433 homes), and affordable home ownership approvals (up by 5% or 92 homes), with a decrease in social rent approvals (down by 2% or 124 homes).

There were 10,569 affordable houses started in the year to end March 2018, up by 14% or 1,261 homes compared to the previous year. This includes increases in social rent starts (up by 9% or 585 homes), affordable rent starts (up by 42% or 530 homes), and affordable home ownership starts (up by 8% or 146 homes).

Quarterly affordable housing supply statistics are used to inform the Scottish Government target to deliver 50,000 affordable homes, including 35,000 homes for social rent, over the period 2016/17 to 2020/21.

Local Authority Right to Buy Sales – up to end December 2017

The Right to Buy scheme closed to all new applicants on 31 July 2016, therefore there have been no Right to Buy applications made during the last 15 months (October 2016 to December 2017). Throughout the final year of the scheme (the year to end September 2016) there were 9,060 applications made, more than double the 3,890 applications that were made in the previous year to end September 2015. This increase is likely to have been because this was the last chance for social housing tenants with an entitlement to exercise their Right to Buy before the scheme closed.

It can take a period of time for applications to be processed and for sales to be made, and therefore Right to Buy sales are still being recorded. In the latest available quarter, October to December 2017, there were 266 Right to Buy sales, 67% less than the 801 sales in the same quarter in the previous year, and also 55% less than the 587 sales in the previous quarter, July to September 2017. It is expected that sales will continue to fall further in future quarters as the number of applications remaining in the system falls.