Housing Statistics for Scotland Quarterly Update (Published 15th March 2016)

Key Points

New Build Housing - All Sectors:

• There were 4,021 new build homes completed between July and September 2015; 21% up on the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end September 2015 to 16,004, up 4% (556 homes) compared to the 15,448 completed in the previous year.
• There were 4,117 new build homes started between July and September 2015; 15% up on the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end September 2015 to 17,360 which is up by 9% (1,405 homes) compared to the 15,955 homes started in the previous year.

New Build Housing - Private-led Housing:

• Between July and September 2015, 3,126 private sector led homes were completed; 20% up on the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end September 2015 to 12,125 - 2% (217 homes) higher than the 11,908 completions in the previous year.
• There were 3,288 private sector led starts between July and September 2015, 14% up on the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end September 2015 to 13,336, 10% (1,160 homes) higher than the 12,176 starts in the previous year.

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

• There were 895 social housing completions between July and September 2015; 23% more than the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end September 2015 to 3,879. This is 10% increase on the 3,540 social sector completed in the previous year.
• Meanwhile 829 social sector homes were started between July and September 2015; 18% more than the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the 12 months to end September 2015 to 4,024; a 6% increase on the previous year.
• More up-to-date figures show that, in October to December 2015, 804 social sector homes were completed (9% fewer than the 883 completions in the same quarter in 2014), and 1,102 were started (30% more than the same quarter in 2014). This brings the total completions for the 12 months to end December 2015 to 3,800 (a 13% increase on the 3,353 social sector homes completed in the previous year). Total starts over the 12 months to end December 2015 are now at 4,278 (12% more than the 3,811 started in the previous year).

New Build Housing - Housing Association Homes:

• There were 700 housing association completions between July and September 2015, which is 59% more than the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end September 2015 to 2,828. This is a 10% (268 homes) increase on the 2,560 completions over the previous year.
• There were 288 housing association approvals between July and September 2015; 4% fewer than the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end September 2015 to 2,574. This is a decrease of 1% (28 homes) on the 2,602 approvals in the previous year.
• More up-to-date figures show that a total of 513 Housing Association homes were completed between October to December 2015, a 16% decrease on the 614 homes completed in the same period in 2014. This brings the total completions for the 12 months to end December 2015 to 2,727, which is an increase of 14% on the 2,386 homes completed in the previous year. A total of 815 Housing Association homes were approved between October to December 2015, which is 60% more than the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total approvals for the 12 months to end December 2015 to 2,879, a 12% increase on the 2,573 approvals in the previous year.

New Build Housing - Local Authority Homes:

• There were 195 local authority completions between July and September 2015, which is 32% fewer than the number that were completed in the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end September 2015 to 1,051. This is a 7% (71 homes) increase on the 980 completions the previous year.
• There were 541 local authority starts between July and September 2015; 35% higher than the number in the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end September 2015 to 1,450. This is a 23% (273 homes) increase on the 1,177 starts in the previous year.
• More up-to-date figures show that, in October to December 2015, 291 local authority houses were completed (an 8% increase on the same quarter in 2014), and 287 were started (down by 15% on the same quarter in 2014). This brings the total completions for the year to end December 2015 to 1,073, 11% more than the 967 completions in the previous year. Total starts for the 12 months to end December 2015 now stands at 1,399 which is an increase of 13% on the 1,238 local authority homes completed in the previous year.

Affordable Housing Supply - up to end December 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 December 2015 show that affordable housing supply completions have totalled 6,860 for the year up to December 2015, up 19% on the previous year. This includes an increase in affordable rent completions (up by 44% or 335 homes), and social rent completions (up by 17% or 585 homes), and affordable home ownership completions (up by 10%, or 165 homes). Meanwhile, there were 7,321 affordable housing approvals over the year up to end December 2015, up by 7% or 458 homes. There were 5,945 new affordable houses started, down by 22%, or 1,646 homes, compared to the previous year.

Affordable Housing Supply Completions - Scottish Government Target to deliver 30,000 affordable homes, including 20,000 social rented homes and 5,000 council homes, between 2011-12 and 2015-16

The Quarterly statistics from April 2011 to end December 2015 show that there were a total of:

• 31,034 affordable housing supply completions, of which:
• 20,854 were for social rent, including 5,405 council house completions
• 3,104 were for other affordable rent
• 7,076 were for affordable home ownership

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 July to September 2015. During this period there were 1,161 Right to Buy applications (10% higher than in the same quarter the previous year, and 19% higher than in the same quarter in 2013) and 437 sales (19% higher than in the same quarter in the previous year, and 32% higher than in the same quarter in 2013).