Housing statistics: quarterly update, September 2016

Key Points

New Build Housing - All Sectors:

There were 3,970 new build homes completed between January and March 2016; a 2% decrease on the same quarter in 2015. This brings the total for the year to end March 2016 to 15,854, down 2% (355 homes) compared to the 16,209 completed in the previous year.

There were 4,596 new build homes started between January and March 2016; 7% fewer than the same quarter in 2015. This brings the total for the year to end March 2016 to 16,910 which is up by 4% (664 homes) compared to the 16,246 homes started in the previous year.

New Build Housing - Private-led Housing:

Between January and March 2016, 2,872 private sector led homes were completed; 20% up on the same quarter in 2015. This brings the total for the year to end March 2016 to 12,396, which is 3% (408 homes) higher than the 11,988 completions in the previous year.

There were 2,686 private sector led starts between January and March 2016, 13% down on the same quarter in 2015. This brings the total for the year ending March 2016 to 12,497, which is 1% (157 homes) more than the 12,340 starts in the previous year.

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

There were 1,098 social housing completions between January and March 2016; 35% fewer than the same quarter in 2015. This brings the total for the year to end March 2016 to 3,458. This is an 18% decrease on the 4,221 social sector completed in the previous year.

Meanwhile 1,910 social sector homes were started between January and March 2016; 4% higher than the same quarter in 2015. This brings the total for the year to end March 2016 to 4,413. This is a 13% increase on the 3,906 social sector completed in the previous year.

More up-to-date figures show that, in April to June 2016, 883 social sector homes were completed (74% more than the 507 completions in the same quarter in 2015), and 635 were started (23% more than the same quarter in the previous year). This brings the total completions for the 12 months to end June 2016 to 3,834 (a 1% increase on the 3,792 social sector homes completed in the previous year). Total starts over the 12 months to end June 2016 are now at 4,530 (17% more than the 3,888 started in the previous year).

New Build Housing - Housing Association Homes:

There were 700 housing association completions between January and March 2016, which is 48% fewer than the same quarter in 2015. This brings the total for the year to end March 2016 to 2,320. This is a 24% (744 homes) decrease on the 3,064 completions over the previous year.

There were 1,610 housing association approvals between January and March 2016; 1% more than the same quarter in the previous year. This brings the total for the year to end March 2016 to 2,906. This is an increase of 10% (272 homes) on the 2,634 approvals in the previous year.

More up-to-date figures show that a total of 639 Housing Association homes were completed between April to June 2016, more than double the number of completions in the same period in the previous year (263 homes). This brings the total completions for the 12 months to end June 2016 to 2,696, which is an increase of 2% on the 2,650 homes completed in the previous year. A total of 277 Housing Association homes were approved between April to June 2016, which is 55% more than the same quarter in 2015. This brings the total approvals for the 12 months to end March 2016 to 3,004, a 16% increase on the 2,586 approvals in the previous year.

New Build Housing - Local Authority Homes:

There were 398 local authority completions between January and March 2016, which is 16% more than the number that were completed in the same quarter in 2015. This brings the total for the year ending March 2016 to 1,138. This is a 2% (19 homes) decrease on the 1,157 completions the previous year.

There were 300 local authority starts between January and March 2016; 28% higher than the number in the same quarter in 2015. This brings the total for year ending March 2016 to 1,507. This is a 18% (235 homes) increase on the 1,272 starts in the previous year.

More up-to-date figures show that, in April to June 2016, 244 local authority houses were completed (the same as the previous year), and 358 were started (up by 6% on the same quarter in the previous year). This brings the total completions for the year to end June 2016 to 1,138, which is almost the same as the previous year (decrease of 4 homes). Total starts for the 12 months to end June 2016 now stands at 1,526 which is an increase of 17% on the 1,302 local authority homes completed in the previous year.

Affordable Housing Supply - up to end June 2016

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 June 2016 show that affordable housing supply completions have totalled 6,850 for the year up to June 2016, up 1% on the previous year. This includes an increase affordable home ownership completions (up by 7%, or 120 homes), along with a decrease in affordable rent completions (down by 3% or 34 homes) and social rent completions (down by 1% or 32 homes), and. Meanwhile, there were 8,067 affordable housing approvals over the year up to end June 2016, up by 26% or 1,689 homes. There were 7,898 new affordable houses started, up by 22%, or 1,425 homes, compared to the previous year.

Quarterly affordable housing supply statistics will be 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 Applications and Sales:

The Right to Buy scheme closed to all new applicants on 31 July 2016. The most recent figures available for applications and sales are for January to March 2016. During this period there were 1,833 Right to Buy applications (82% higher than in the same quarter the previous year) and 507 sales (34% higher than in the same quarter in the previous year).