Housing statistics: quarterly update, June 2016

New Build Housing - Private-led Housing

The private sector is the biggest contributor to overall house building, accounting for three-quarters (75%) of all homes completed in the 12 months to end December 2015.

Chart 5: Annual private sector led new build starts and completions, years to end December, 2006-2015

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 December) the number of private sector homes started were around 16,000 to 24,000 while completions were around 18,000 to 22,000. The private sector 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 around 12,000 in 2014 and 2015.

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 December 2015:

Between October and December 2015, 3,120 private sector led homes were completed; 5% down on the same quarter in 2014 (see Chart 6).

This brings the total for 2015 to 11,917 - down by 2% (207 homes) on the 12,122 completions in the previous year.

Meanwhile 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, 0.2% (27 homes) lower than the 12,923 starts in the previous year.

Sub-national figures for the year to end December 2015:

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, Dundee City, Angus and Dumfries & Galloway.

Map B: New build housing - private sector completions: rates per 10,000 population, year to end December 2015