Scottish House Condition Survey: 2023 Key Findings

1 Key Attributes of the Scottish Housing Stock

The Scottish House Condition Survey provides a snapshot of the Scottish housing stock in each survey year. This chapter sets out information on the basic attributes of occupied Scottish dwellings as captured in 2023. Subsequent chapters build on this and provide more details on energy efficiency, fuel poverty, housing quality and disrepair.

The following topics are included:

• the construction age and built form of Scottish domestic buildings
• the dwellings’ location in relation to the gas network and the type of fuel used to heat them
• the relationship between the dwellings’ attributes, their urban/rural location and household tenure and
• the composition of the households who occupy them.

Following the 2022 census the National Records of Scotland (NRS) revised their household estimates for the 2012 to 2022 period. For Scotland as a whole there was a downward revision which increased over time, from 0.2% in 2012 (-3,590 households) to 1.4% (-34,478 households) in 2022. In order to account for this we have updated the time series estimates in our tables in this publication to incorporate the revised 2012 to 2022 household estimates. Therefore direct comparisons with reported household figures in previous SHCS Annual Reports and this report should not be made. See section 1.1.6 of the methodological and technical notes for a full description.

1.1 Dwelling Age and Type

The age of construction and the built form of a dwelling has consequences for energy performance, running costs and living conditions. For example, older dwellings built with solid stone walls are typically less effective at preventing heat transmittance between the inside and the outside of a building than properties that have been built using modern construction materials and that, since 1982, have been subject to increasingly rigorous minimum standards of energy efficiency and airtightness.

At the same time, types of dwellings can differ in terms of the size of the external surface area; dwellings with a smaller area of exposed wall, for example those that are shielded by adjacent properties, typically have lower levels of heat loss than in buildings with fewer sheltered sides.

More information on the main dwelling types used in the SHCS is provided in section 2.1 of the Methodological and technical notes.

The housing stock in Scotland is diverse.

Figure 1.1: Number of occupied Scottish dwellings by age band and type, 2023Description of figure 1.1

As shown in Figure 1.1, the 2.54 million dwellings in the Scottish occupied housing stock are diverse and vary across the country. However, some common types can be recognised:

• Old (pre-1919) detached houses (4%; around 97,000) and tenement flats (7%; 186,000)
• More modern post-1982 detached houses (11%; 280,000) and tenements (8%; 204,000)
• Post-war terraced houses (14%; 365,000 built between 1945 and 1982)
• Semi-detached houses, accounting for around 20% of the stock alone.

These six broad categories account for 64% of the overall housing stock (approximately 1.6 million occupied dwellings) however there is also variability within these groups. For example, among pre-1919 tenement flats, of the type common in Edinburgh and Glasgow, there is a wide range of sizes, layouts, and areas of exposure (for example in top floor flats the roof is exposed) which affects their energy efficiency and the living conditions experienced by the household.

Data Source: Table KA1a and KA1b in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 01 Key Attributes of the Scottish Housing Stock – tables and figures’

The category ‘other flats’ includes houses that have been converted to flats (26,000), towers / slabs (72,000) and so-called “4-in-a-block” flats (211,000).

• “4-in-a-block” flats were commonly built as social housing between 1919 and 1965 (65% of “4-in-a-block” flats fall in that age category).
• 81% (+/- 11.7%) of towers / slabs were built in the 1945 to 1982 period, again often as social housing.
• Converted flats are almost exclusively pre-1919 structures (98%) (+/- 5.5%), where a house has been divided into multiple residences.

It should be noted that both tower / slabs and converted flats are relatively uncommon in the Scottish dwelling stock and as such represent a small part of the achieved sample each year. Therefore there is greater uncertainty in these estimates, illustrated through the confidence intervals included above with the estimate figure. Due this uncertainty year on year differences may not be statistically significant. See section 1.1.2 of the technical and methodological notes for more information on Confidence Intervals and how they relate to sample sizes.

More information is available on Table KA2a and KA2b in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 01 Key Attributes of the Scottish Housing Stock – tables and figures’

Rural and urban dwellings tend to be different.

Figure 1.2: Dwelling types in rural and urban areas, 2023Description of figure 1.2

Figure 1.2 shows the number of dwellings in rural (416,000 households) and urban areas (2.1 million households) by property type. Around half (48%; 202,000 households) of all rural dwellings are detached, and 23% (95,000) are semi-detached. Only 11% of rural dwellings are flats; 44,000 in total. The most common dwelling type in urban areas are tenement flats (586,000), accounting for around 28% of urban housing. Around 59% of urban stock are detached, semi-detached and terraced houses, in total accounting for 1.3 million of the 2.1 million urban dwellings.

Data Source: Table KA3a in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 01 Key Attributes of the Scottish Housing Stock – tables and figures’

Notes: [note 1]

1.2 Dwelling Size (Floor Area)

The size of the internal floor area has implications for the heating requirements of a dwelling. Larger dwellings require greater heat inputs and therefore cost more to heat. This has a direct impact on fuel poverty (see Chapter 3).

Across Scotland older dwellings tend to be larger than modern dwellings.

Figure 1.3: Average floor area (m2) by dwelling type and age, 2023Description of figure 1.3

Figure 1.3 shows that pre-1919 dwellings tend to be larger than the other two age categories across all dwelling types. Semi-detached houses built after 1919 are on average around two-thirds of the size of those built pre-1919. Similarly, terraced houses built after 1919 are around three quarters the size those built pre-1919. The overall average for post-1982 dwellings is higher compared to those built between 1919 and 1982. This is largely driven by differences in detached houses, which are both larger in size and more common in the post-1982 stock.

Data Source: Table KA4 in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 01 Key Attributes of the Scottish Housing Stock – tables and figures’

Rural dwellings tended to be bigger than urban dwellings.

Figure 1.4: Average internal floor area (m2) by urban/rural location, 2023Description of figure 1.4

Figure 1.4 shows that rural dwellings are, on average, 32% larger than urban dwellings based on internal floor area. The difference is smallest for dwellings built between 1919 and 1982 at 11%, and largest among pre-1919 and dwellings where rural properties are around 43% larger.

Data Source: Table KA5 in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 01 Key Attributes of the Scottish Housing Stock – tables and figures’

Notes: [note 1]

1.3 Gas Grid Coverage

Gas grid coverage is determined on the basis of the distance of the dwelling from a low / medium / intermediate pressure gas distribution pipe. Based on the usual maximum distance for standard domestic connection (63 meters), dwellings are classified as being “on” or “off” the grid.  This does not reflect whether the dwelling is actually connected to the grid. For 2021 onwards an improvement was introduced whereby in addition to this definition a dwelling is also classified as “on” the grid if a mains gas connection has been recorded in the physical survey, irrespective of the distance to the gas distribution pipe.

Further details on the method for estimating distance to the gas grid are available in section 2.4 of the Methodology Notes.

Connection to the gas grid allows households to use gas for heating and hot water. Historically gas was the cheapest of the major commercial fuels, however in 2023 due to falling liquid fuel prices this was not the case. Nevertheless as gas remains substantially cheaper than electricity (the second most common heating fuel type) gas grid access can be a significant determinant in the required cost of heating a home to a satisfactory temperature.

Around 11% of dwellings in Scotland are estimated to be outside the coverage of the gas grid.

Figure 1.5: Gas grid coverage, 2023Description of figure 1.5

As shown in Figure 1.5, approximately 11% of dwellings in Scotland are estimated to be outside the coverage of the gas grid.

An error was found in the gas grid connection figures for 2021 and 2022. The impact on headline rates ranges from 4.3 to 9 percentage points. See section 2.4 of the Technical and methodological notes for more details.

Data Source: Table KA6a in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 01 Key Attributes of the Scottish Housing Stock – tables and figures’

Notes: [note 2]

The majority of urban dwellings are within the coverage of the gas grid, whereas around half of those in rural areas are not.

Figure 1.6: Gas grid coverage by urban rural location, 2023Description of figure 1.6

As shown in Figure 1.6, the 97% of urban dwellings are within the coverage of the gas grid, whereas 55% of those in rural areas are not.

Data Source: Table KA6a in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 01 Key Attributes of the Scottish Housing Stock – tables and figures’

Notes: [note 1] [note 2]

1.4 Heating Fuel

This section examines the distribution of dwellings in terms of the primary heating fuel used broken down by a range of other characteristics, such as age and type of dwelling. The relationship between the type of fuel used, the energy efficiency rating, and fuel poverty will be explored further in later chapters.

Mains gas is the most common heating fuel in Scotland.

Figure 1.7: Primary heating fuel, 2023Description of figure 1.7

Figure 1.7 shows that overwhelmingly the most common heating fuel is mains gas: 81% of Scottish households (around 2.1 million) use mains gas for heating, 11% (270,000 households) use electricity and 5% (139,000 households) use oil. Around 77,000 households (3% of all households) were estimated to heat their homes with communal heating, LPG bulk or bottled, solid mineral fuel or biomass. Around 9% of dwellings on the gas grid use an alternative fuel, such as electricity, as their main heating fuel.

Overall, around 316,000 households (12% of all households) were estimated to have low and/or zero greenhouse gas emissions heating systems in 2023, primarily heating their homes with electricity, communal heating, or biomass. This is similar to the estimate of 319,000 households (13% of all households) from the 2022 SHCS.

Data Source: Table KA7a in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 01 Key Attributes of the Scottish Housing Stock – tables and figures’

Rented homes were more likely to use electricity as their primary heating fuel than those in the owner occupied sector.

Figure 1.8: Primary heating fuel by tenure, 2023Description of figure 1.8

Mains gas and electricity are the primary fuel types present in 95% of social housing with a further 4% (27,000 households) using some form of communal heating. Conversely, oil is rarely used to heat social housing, but is the primary heating fuel in 7% of owner-occupied dwellings and 7% of private rented dwellings. Mains gas use is less prevalent in private rented households at 74% compared to 82% in owner occupied dwellings but is similar to social housing (80%). Owner occupier households were less likely to use electricity as their primary fuel type at 8% compared to 18% of private rented dwellings and 14% of social sector dwellings.

Data Source: Table KA7a in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 01 Key Attributes of the Scottish Housing Stock – tables and figures’

Primary heating fuel across Scotland varies by age and type of dwelling.

Figure 1.9: Primary heating fuel by age and type of dwelling, 2023Description of figure 1.9

Figure 1.9 shows that 84% of dwellings built between 1919 and 1982 use gas as their primary heating fuel. In comparison, 78% of dwellings built after 1982 and 77% of dwellings built pre-1919 use gas.

Older pre-1919 dwellings more commonly (15%) use other fuel types (such as oil) aside from gas or electricity than newer dwellings.

Primary heating fuel also varies by type of dwelling. Households living in detached dwellings are least likely to use mains gas for heating, 71%, compared to 87% of those households living in terraced houses, 85% in semi-detached houses, and 81% of households for Scotland as a whole.

This is driven in part by the greater prevalence of alternative heating fuels amongst pre-1919 detached houses. 48% use an alternative fuel source (other than gas and electricity) for space heating and hot water. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1.2 there is a higher proportion of detached dwellings in rural areas and Figure 1.6 demonstrates that dwellings in rural areas are less likely to be within the coverage of the gas grid.

By comparison only 16% of pre 1919 semi-detached houses and 18% of pre 1919 terraced households are reliant on other fuels.

Flats have higher levels of electricity (16%) as the main heating fuel than all three house types.

Data Source: Table KA8a in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 01 Key Attributes of the Scottish Housing Stock – tables and figures’

89% of dwellings in urban locations used mains gas as their primary heating fuel compared to 40% of those in rural locations.

Figure 1.10: Primary heating fuel by urban/rural location, 2023Description of figure 1.10

Figure 1.10 shows that 89% of dwellings in urban locations use mains gas as their primary heating fuel compared to 40% of those in rural locations. By contrast, there are higher rates of electricity and oil as primary heating fuel in rural locations, 23% and 29%, respectively, compared to urban locations where electricity is used in 8% and oil in 1% of dwellings. 

Data Source: Table KA9a in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 01 Key Attributes of the Scottish Housing Stock – tables and figures’

Notes:[note 1]

Boilers are the most common method of heating homes.

Figure 1.11: Primary heating type, 2023Description of figure 1.11

Figure 1.11 shows that 89% of all dwellings in Scotland use a boiler (using any type of fuel) to heat their home. This is followed by storage heaters which are used by around 7% of the stock, and other forms of heating such as warm air systems, and room heaters which are used by 2% of dwellings. Similarly, heat pumps are used by a small percentage of dwellings (2%).

Data Source: Table KA10a in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 01 Key Attributes of the Scottish Housing Stock – tables and figures’

Around 7% of dwellings in Scotland have solar panels or solar PV installed.

Figure 1.12: Dwellings with solar panels or solar PV, 2023Description of figure 1.12

As shown in Figure 1.12 an estimated 7% of all dwellings in Scotland had either solar panels, solar PV, or both installed.

Data Source: Table KA11a in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 01 Key Attributes of the Scottish Housing Stock – tables and figures’

1.5 Household Type

In this report we describe households in terms of three main types which are derived from the more detailed classification used in the Scottish Household Survey:

• Families. These are households which contain at least one child aged under 16. The resident adult(s) may be of any age.
• Older households. One- or two-member households which include at least one resident aged 65 or older.
• Other households. These are all other household types which are made up of adults only and have no resident children.

More details about the definitions are provided in section 2.2 of the Methodological and Technical notes

Families and older households are more likely to live in houses

Figure 1.13: Households by dwelling type and age band, 2023Description of figure 1.13

As shown in Figure 1.13 there is a broad association between household types and the type of dwellings they occupy.  While families and older households are more likely to live in houses (70% and 71% respectively), other households are more evenly split between houses and flats (56% and 44% respectively).

Families have the highest proportional occupancy of post-1982 houses: 29% of households with children live in post-1982 houses, compared with 15% of older households and 19% of other types of households. The highest occupancy of pre-1919 flats is observed among other types of households, 14%, compared to 7% for families and 5% for older households.

Data Source: Table KA12a in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 01 Key Attributes of the Scottish Housing Stock – tables and figures’

1.6 Tenure

Statistics on tenure in the SHCS are based on the achieved sample of dwellings in the physical survey and are not calibrated against figures produced as part of the Scottish Government Housing Statistics for Scotland publication or the Scottish Household Survey publication (which is based on a larger sample and different weighting methodology).

For estimates of the total number of dwellings by tenure, readers are referred to the Scottish Government Housing Statistics for Scotland publication which uses information from social landlords’ returns which comprehensively cover the social housing sector and therefore provides more accurate estimates of the total stock by tenure.

In this section we explore data from the SHCS sample which provides more detailed information on the composition of each tenure type.

Household types vary across tenure.

Figure 1.14: Proportion of households in each tenure group by household type, 2023Description of figure 1.14

As shown in Figure 1.14, owner occupiers with mortgages are predominantly families (39%) and other households (57%). While the majority of those who own their properties outright are older households (61%) and a small amount are families (5%). The majority of those who live in the private rented sector (PRS) belong to other households (63%). Around 25% of private sector renters, and 23% of renters in the social sector, are households with children.

Data Source: Table KA13a in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 01 Key Attributes of the Scottish Housing Stock – tables and figures’

Owner-occupied dwellings are more likely to be houses.

Figure 1.15: Proportion of dwellings in each tenure group by age band and type of dwelling, 2023Description of figure 1.15

Figure 1.15 shows that properties rented from Housing Associations (HA) or the Private Rented sector are more likely to be flats. Flats account for 72% of Housing Association (HA) stock and 64% of dwellings rented from private sector landlords. Conversely, owner-occupied dwellings are more likely live in houses: 80% of dwellings owned outright and 76% of those with a mortgage are houses, compared to 52% of dwellings owned by Local Authorities, 28% of Housing Association stock and 36% of private rented properties.

Almost all properties (90%) owned by Local Authorities were built between 1919 and 1982, while less than half (45%) of the Housing Associations stock was built in this period. By contrast, 37% of private rented sector dwellings were built before 1919, higher than both local authority (1%) and housing association (8%) properties.

Data Source: Table KA14a in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 01 Key Attributes of the Scottish Housing Stock – tables and figures’

1.7 Household Income Band

Income and tenure are closely correlated.

 Figure 1.16 Households by tenure group and annual household income band, 2023 Description of figure 1.16

The distribution of income is related to household tenure. For social sector residents the distribution of households is skewed towards lower income groups, as shown in Figure 1.16, while for households with mortgages the distribution is skewed towards the highest income group. The distribution of households by income in the PRS is more uniform than the other tenures.

Data Source: Table KA15a in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 01 Key Attributes of the Scottish Housing Stock – tables and figures’