Housing statistics: quarterly update, June 2016

Key Points

New Build Housing - All Sectors:

There were 3,988 new build homes completed between October and December 2015; a 5% decrease on the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end December 2015 to 15,954, up 3% (479 homes) compared to the 15,475 completed in the previous year.

There were 3,585 new build homes started between October and December 2015; 12% fewer than the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end December 2015 to 17,231 which is up by 3% (508 homes) compared to the 16,723 homes started in the previous year.

New Build Housing - Private-led Housing:

Between October and December 2015, 3,120 private sector led homes were completed; 5% down on the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for 2015 to 11,917, which is 2% (205 homes) lower than the 12,122 completions in the previous year.

There were 2,491 private sector led starts between October and December 2015, 23% down on the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for 2015 to 12,896, which is 0.2% (27 homes) lower than the 12,923 starts in the previous year.

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

There were 868 social housing completions between October and December 2015; 2% down on the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end December 2015 to 4,037. This is 20% increase on the 3,353 social sector completed in the previous year.

Meanwhile 1,094 social sector homes were started between October and December 2015; 29% more than the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the 12 months to end December 2015 to 4,335; a 14% increase on the previous year.

More up-to-date figures show that, in January to March 2016, 1,098 social sector homes were completed (35% fewer than the 1,677 completions in the same quarter in 2014), and 1,910 were started (5% more than the same quarter in the previous year). This brings the total completions for the 12 months to end March 2016 to 3,458 (an 18% decrease on the 4,221 social sector homes completed in the previous year). Total starts over the 12 months to end March 2016 are now at 4,418 (13% more than the 3,902 started in the previous year).

New Build Housing - Housing Association Homes:

There were 567 housing association completions between October and December 2015, which is 8% fewer than the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for the year to end December 2015 to 2,954. This is a 24% (568 homes) increase on the 2,386 completions over the previous year.

There were 785 housing association approvals between October and December 2015; 54% more than the same quarter in the previous year. This brings the total for the year to end December 2015 to 2,893. This is an increase of 12% (320 homes) on the 2,573 approvals in the previous year.

More up-to-date figures show that a total of 700 Housing Association homes were completed between January to March 2016, a 48% decrease on the 1,334 homes completed in the same period in the previous year. This brings the total completions for the 12 months to end March 2016 to 2,320, which is a decrease of 24% on the 3,064 homes completed in the previous year. A total of 1,610 Housing Association homes were approved between January to March 2016, which is 1% more than the same quarter in 2015. This brings the total approvals for the 12 months to end March 2016 to 2,906, a 10% increase on the 2,634 approvals in the previous year.

New Build Housing - Local Authority Homes:

There were 301 local authority completions between October and December 2015, which is 12% more than the number that were completed in the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for 2015 to 1,083. This is a 12% (116 homes) increase on the 967 completions the previous year.

There were 309 local authority starts between October and December 2015; 9% lower than the number in the same quarter in 2014. This brings the total for 2015 to 1,442. This is a 18% (215 homes) increase on the 1,227 starts in the previous year.

More up-to-date figures show that, in January to March 2016, 398 local authority houses were completed (an 16% increase on the same quarter in the previous year), and 300 were started (up by 30% on the same quarter in the previous year). This brings the total completions for the year to end March 2016 to 1,138, 2% fewer than the 1,157 completions in the previous year. Total starts for the 12 months to end March 2016 now stands at 1,512 which is an increase of 19% on the 1,268 local authority homes completed in the previous year.

Affordable Housing Supply - up to end March 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 March 2016 show that affordable housing supply completions have totalled 6,518 for the year up to March 2016, down 8% on the previous year. This includes a decrease in affordable rent completions (down by 8% or 87 homes), and social rent completions (down by 12% or 523 homes), and an increase affordable home ownership completions (up by 4%, or 59 homes). Meanwhile, there were 7,945 affordable housing approvals over the year up to end March 2016, up by 26% or 1,648 homes. There were 7,682 new affordable houses started, up by 16%, or 1,041 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 show that over the full period of the target between 2011-12 and 2015-16 there were a total of:

• 33,490 affordable housing supply completions, of which:
• 22,523 were for social rent, including 5,992 council house completions
• 3,473 were for other affordable rent
• 7,494 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 October to December 2015. During this period there were 913 Right to Buy applications (47% higher than in the same quarter the previous year, and 42% higher than in the same quarter in 2013) and 475 sales (1% higher than in the same quarter in the previous year, and 53% higher than in the same quarter in 2013).