Housing statistics: quarterly update, September 2016

New Build Housing - Private-led Housing

The private sector is the biggest contributor to overall house building, accounting for more than three-quarters (78%) of all homes completed in the 12 months to end March 2016.

Chart 5: Annual private sector led new build starts and completions, years to end March, 2006 to 2016

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 March) the number of private sector homes started were around 20,000 to 23,000 while completions were around 21,000 to 22,000. Private sector led new build housing was hit particularly hard by the recession. The number of homes completed dropped steeply throughout 2009 then continued to decrease more gradually to around 10,000 in 2012. Since then the number of homes completed has increased, bringing completions through the year to almost 11,000 in the year ending March 2014 and almost 12,000 in 2015, before increasing to over 12,000 in 2016.

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 March 2016:

Between January and March 2016, 2,872 private sector led homes were completed; 20% up on the same quarter in 2015. (see Chart 6).

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.

Meanwhile 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.

Sub-national figures for the year to end March 2016:

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 September 2015.

The highest completion rates have been in Midlothian, Aberdeenshire and West Lothian. The lowest rates meanwhile have been in Argyll & Bute, Angus, East Ayrshire, and Dumfries & Galloway.

Map B: New build housing - private sector completions: rates per 10,000 population, year to end March 2016