Scottish House Condition Survey: 2023 Key Findings

6 Bedroom Standard

6.1 Overcrowding and Under-Occupancy

Key Points

• In 2023 around 61,000 households lived in overcrowded accommodation (2%), under the bedroom standard.
• Around 35% of all households (888,000) had one bedroom in excess of the minimum requirement under the bedroom standard. A further 878,000 (35% of all households) had two or more bedrooms in excess.
• Social sector tenants are more likely to live in accommodation which meets but does not exceed the minimum requirements of the bedroom standard (54% compared to 19% in the private sector). Social sector tenants are also slightly more likely (4%) to live in accommodation which is overcrowded according to the bedroom standard than those households living in the private sector (2%).
• By comparison households in the private sector are more likely to live in accommodation which exceeds the bedroom standard (79% vs 42% for social tenants).
• 15% of households living in homes meeting (but not exceeding) the bedroom standard felt their home had too few rooms, while 37% of households living in overcrowded homes felt that their home had just about the right number of rooms.

This section examines some key measures of whether households are living in overcrowded or under-occupied conditions. This is determined on the basis of the bedroom standard as defined in the Housing (Overcrowding) Bill 2003 taking into account the number of bedrooms available in the dwelling and the type of household that occupies it.

Minimum requirements for bedrooms under the bedroom standard should not be confused with criteria for the removal of the spare room subsidy. More information on the bedroom standard and the differences between the two is included in section 2.9 of the Methodological and Technical notes.

The majority of dwellings in Scotland have at least one bedroom above the minimum standard.

Figure 6.1: Proportion of dwellings which are overcrowded, meet the minimum standard, or exceed it, 2012-2023Description of figure 6.1

Figure 6.1 shows how headline occupancy measures have changed over time. In 2023, the national rate of households with at least one bedroom above the minimum standard was 70%, similar to 2022. The proportion of households who live in accommodation that meets (but not exceeds) the minimum bedroom standard increased from 25% in 2022 to 28% in 2023. The rate of overcrowding (i.e. below the standard) has remained around 2-3% since 2012 and is currently at 2% in 2023. The proportion of dwellings with 3 or more bedrooms above the minimum requirements increased from 8% in 2012 to 11% in 2019 and has remained stable at 11% in 2023.

Data Source: Table BS1a in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 06 Bedroom Standard- tables and figures’

Subsequent sections examine in more detail the differences across household and dwelling characteristic.

6.1.1 Overcrowding

A dwelling is considered overcrowded if there are insufficient bedrooms to meet the occupants’ requirements under the bedroom standard definition (see section 2.9 of the Methodological and Technical notes).

Around 61,000 or 2% of households in Scotland live in overcrowded accommodations.

Figure 6.2: Overcrowded dwellings by dwelling and household characteristics, 2023Description of figure 6.2

In 2023, around 2% of all households (61,000) were found to live in overcrowded accommodation (see Figure 6.2). Social sector dwellings (4%) were more likely to be overcrowded than private sector dwellings (2%). However there is a split amongst private sector dwellings as households who own their properties outright (1%) had overcrowding rates below the national average. While those who rent privately (6%) had overcrowding rates above the national average .

Data Source: Table BS2 in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 06 Bedroom Standard- tables and figures’

Notes: [note 1]

6.1.2 Under-Occupancy

888,000 or 35% of households had one additional bedroom above the minimum bedroom standard and around 878,000 or 35% had two or more bedrooms in excess of the minimum standard.

Figure 6.3: Dwellings above minimum bedroom standard, by dwelling and household characteristics, 2023Description of figure 6.3

As shown in Figure 6.3, around 888,000 or 35% of all household had one additional bedroom above the minimum under the bedroom standard. Additionally a further 878,000 or 35% of all households had two or more bedrooms in excess of the minimum standard.

Households in the social and private rented sectors are less likely to have two or more bedrooms in excess of the minimum requirements. Only 9% of social tenants and 12% of private rented tenants have two or more additional rooms, compared to 57% of those who own outright and 39% of those with a mortgage. The proportion of households with one bedroom in excess of minimum requirements is similar between the private and social sectors (36% and 33% respectively).

Higher income households (£45,000 or more per year) are more likely to live in dwellings with two or more additional bedrooms (45%) than the national average (35%).

Under-occupied dwellings are less common amongst those built between 1945 and 1964, where 64% have one or more bedrooms in excess of the standard, compared to dwellings built post-1982 where the rate is 73%. Similarly, detached houses have the highest rates of under-occupancy compared to other building types: 74% with two or more additional bedrooms. By comparison, tenements (7%) and other flats (13%) have the lowest rates of two or more additional bedrooms. (see Table BS4 in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 06 Bedroom Standard- tables and figures’).

Under-occupation is more common in rural areas. Around 50% of rural dwellings have two or more bedrooms in excess of the minimum requirements under the bedroom standard, compared to 32% for urban properties.

Data Source: Table BS3 in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 06 Bedroom Standard- tables and figures’

Notes: [note 1]

In 2023, 709,000 or 28% of households in Scotland live in accommodations that meets (but does not exceed) the minimum bedroom standard.

Figure 6.4: Dwellings meeting the minimum bedroom standard (but not exceeding), by dwelling and household characteristics, 2023Description of figure 6.4

Social and private rented sector tenants are more likely to live in accommodation which meets (but doesn’t exceed) the minimum requirements of the bedroom standard (Figure 6.4). 54% of social sector and 45% of PRS households live in dwellings which meet but do not exceed the bedroom standard compared to 10% for those who own outright and 19% for those with a mortgage.

In 2023, 49% of tenements and 43% of other flats met (but did not exceed) the minimum standard, a higher rate than all other dwelling types. Urban dwellings are more likely to meet, but not exceed, the minimum standard (30%) than rural dwellings (19%).

Lower income household are more likely to meet and not exceed the standard compared to higher income households; 36% of households with annual household income lower that £15,000 meet but do not exceed the bedroom standard compared to 21% for those with an income higher than £45,000.

Data Source: Table BS4 in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 06 Bedroom Standard- tables and figures’

Notes: [note 1]

6.2 Overcrowding and Under-Occupancy Perceptions

The Scottish Household Survey asks householders about their views on the number of rooms in their house/flat. Since 2021 we have provided an analysis of the responses to this question overall, as well as in relation to the household’s compliance with the bedroom standard. It should be noted that this question does not ask specifically about the number of bedrooms in the house/flat.

The majority (85%) of householders reported that their accommodation had about the right number of rooms.

Figure 6.5: Householders’ perceptions about the number of rooms in their accommodation, 2023Description of figure 6.5

85% of householders reported that their accommodation had about the right number of rooms, while 7% believed that they have too few rooms and 8% that they have too many rooms (see Figure 6.5).

Data Source: Table BS5 in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 06 Bedroom Standard- tables and figures’

Householders' views on the number of rooms in their accommodation vary across household and dwelling characteristics.

Figure 6.6: Householders' perceptions about the number of rooms in their accommodation, by dwelling and household characteristics, 2023Description of figure 6.6

Figure 6.6 shows that in private sector dwellings 10% of householders feel that their accommodation has too many rooms while 6% feel that their accommodation has too few rooms. By comparison in the social sector only 3% feel that they have too many rooms while 12% of the respondents felt that their accommodation has too few rooms.

17% of householders who live in detached houses believe that their house has too many rooms, higher than all other dwelling types. By comparison 10% of semi-detached, 6% of terraced houses, 1% of tenements and 3% for other flats believe they have too many rooms. 10% of households with an annual income of £45,000 or more believe that their accommodation has too few rooms, higher than households with an income less than £15,000 where only 5% of feel the same way.

Data Source: Table BS6 in SHCS 2023- Chapter 06 Bedroom Standard- tables and figures’

Notes: [note 1]

86% of householders who live in under-occupied dwellings feel that they have about the right number of rooms.

Figure 6.7: Householders' perceptions about the number of rooms in their accommodation, by bedroom standard, 2023Description of figure 6.7

Figure 6.7 shows that 86% of respondents who live in a dwelling with 1 or more rooms above the bedroom standard feel that they have the right number of rooms, while 11% feel that they have too many and 3% feel that they have too few rooms. Furthermore, 85% of householders who live in accommodation meeting (but not exceeding) the bedroom standard feel that they have the right number of rooms, similar to dwellings exceeding the bedroom standard. Conversely, 15% feel that they have too few rooms, higher than dwellings with 1 or more rooms above the bedroom standard. However, 37% of households that live in overcrowded accommodation, feel that they have the right number of rooms, a lower rate than households at or exceeding the bedroom standard

Data Source: Table BS7 in SHCS 2023- Chapter 06 Bedroom Standard- tables and figures’