Affordable housing supply

Affordable Housing Supply Programme 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. Latest statistics are available up to the end of December 2023.

The statistics reflect the number of affordable homes delivered that have received some form of government support through loans, grant or guarantees.

Approvals, starts and completions are all measured for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme. Approval is the point at which funding is granted. Starts are recorded when an on-site presence is established to progress site work. Completion measures when the units are delivered and ready for occupation.

Social Rent includes Housing Association Rent, Council House Rent as well as Home Owner Support Fund Rent.

Affordable Rent includes Mid-Market Rent (MMR), National Housing Trust (NHT) Rent as well as other programmes such as the Empty Homes Loan Fund (EHLF) and Rural Homes for Rent (RHfR).

Affordable Home Ownership includes Open Market Shared Equity (OMSE), New Supply Shared Equity (NSSE), Shared Ownership (LCHO) as well as other programmes such as Home Owner Support Fund Shared Equity.

As Chart 6 shows, in the year to end December 2023, 6,239 affordable homes were approved, a decrease of 5% (316 homes) on the previous year. In 2023, 6,046 affordable homes were started, a decrease of 20% (1,546 homes) compared with 2022. A total of 9,680 affordable homes were completed in 2023, a decrease of 5% (493 homes) on the previous year.

Chart 6: In 2023, affordable housing supply approvals were the lowest since 2012, starts were the lowest since 2013 and completions were the lowest since 2021.

Charts 7 to 9 below present information on trends in affordable housing supply by type. Just over 70% of approvals, starts, and completions were for social rent in 2023.

Chart 7 shows decreases in the last year in the number of approvals for social rent (by 13% or 634 homes) and for other affordable rent (by 17% of 145 homes), but an increase in the number of approvals for affordable home ownership by 69% of 463 homes.

Chart 8 shows decreases in the last year in the number of starts for social rent by 27% or 1,612 homes and other affordable rent (by 40% or 369 homes) but increases in the number of affordable home ownership (by 64% or 435 homes).

Chart 9 shows a decrease in the last year in the number of completions for social rent (by 18% or 1,533 homes) and increases in other affordable rent (by 30% or 313 homes) and affordable home ownership has doubled since 2022 (727 homes).

Chart 7: Affordable housing supply approvals by type, 2013 to 2023.

Chart 8: Affordable housing supply starts by type, 2013 to 2023.

Chart 9: Affordable housing supply completions by type, 2013 to 2023.

Affordable housebuilding starts, approvals and completions are published on a quarterly basis. Comparisons of quarterly data should be made to the corresponding quarter in a previous year as there have been no seasonal adjustments made to the data. Table 3 presents the number of approvals, starts, and completions for October to December (quarter 4).

Table 3: Affordable housebuilding approvals, starts, and completions for 2022 and 2023, by quarter

Comparisons in Chart 10 focuses on quarterly comparisons between 2023 and 2022. Showing approvals increased by 5% (60 homes) in quarter 4 of 2023 compared with the same period in 2023, starts decreased by 20% (257 homes) and completions decreased by 33% (903 homes).

Chart 10: Affordable housebuilding starts and completions are lower in the last two quarters of 2023 compared to 2022; whereas affordable housebuilding approvals are higher in quarter 3 and 4 2023 compared with the previous year

Quarterly affordable housing supply statistics are used to inform progress against Scottish Government affordable housing delivery targets, in which the ambition is to deliver 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, of which at least 70% will be for social rent and 10% will be in remote, rural and island communities.

A total of 17,619 affordable homes have been completed between 23 March 2022 and 31 December 2023 towards the target of 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, consisting of 13,483 (77%) homes for social rent, 2,126 (12%) for affordable rent, and 2,010 (11%) for affordable home ownership.

Timeseries data along with local authority breakdowns as well as further detail on affordable housing supply are contained in the supporting Excel tables.

The Scottish Government Affordable Housing Supply Programme policy area webpages also include annual Out-Turn Reports, which provide further detailed programme information for each financial year.