Social Tenants in Scotland 2015

Section 2 – Number of Social Tenants and Social Housing Stock Provision

2.1 Number of people in social housing and stock levels

Social rented housing in Scotland in 2015 was provided by 26 of the 32 local authorities who owned and ran local authority housing stock, along with 160 housing associations who owned and ran housing association stock. Of the 32 local authorities, 6 did not directly manage social housing stock due to previous stock transfers to housing associations across the years 2003 to 2007, however they still provided some housing services such as homelessness support.

There were an estimated 1.14 million people living social rented housing in 2015, a similar figure to the estimated 1.15 million people in the previous year, and a decrease of 24% from an estimated 1.49 million people in 1999.

Social housing stock totaled 595,052 units in 2015, a slight increase of 86 homes from 594,966 units in 2014, but a decrease of 18% from 726,283 units in 1999.

Chart 2.1: Estimated Number of People in Social Housing, and Stock Levels, 1999 to 2015

From 1999 to 2009 the number of people living in social housing in Scotland fell by 23% from an estimated 1.49 million people to 1.15 million people. During this time period the amount of social housing stock dropped by 18% from 726,300 to 594,100. The drop in the number of people was greater than the drop in the stock because the average size of a social rented household decreased from 2.1 people in 1999 to 2.0 people in 2009.

Since 2009 social housing stock levels have remained broadly stable at between around 594,000 and 597,000 units per year between 2009 and 2015. The number of people living in social housing between 2009 and 2015 has dropped slightly by an estimated 1% from 1.15 million to 1.14 million, due to a continued reduction in the average number of people per social household across these years.

The drop in levels of social housing stock between 1999 and 2009 can be attributed to the number of sales ( i.e. Right to Buy sales) and demolitions being higher than the number of units of new supply achieved through new build completions and other acquisitions of stock. Social housing stock levels have been broadly stable between 2009 and 2015, which suggests that the number of units lost each year across this time period has largely been balanced out by new supply provision.

Stock transfers in 6 local authority areas between 2003 and 2007 saw dwellings being transferred from local authority control to housing associations. Glasgow, Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders transferred their stock in 2003, followed by Argyll and Bute and Na Eileanan Siar in 2006, and Inverclyde in 2007.

There was an average of 1.9 people per social household in 2015, an average of 1.6 adults and 0.4 children, a slight drop from the average of 2.0 people per social household in the previous year, and a decrease from the 2.1 people per social household in 1999. The drop from 1999 to 2015 has been largely due to a fall in the average number of children per household from 0.5 in 1999 to 0.4 in 2015.

Chart 2.2: Average number of people per household, social rented households

Table 2.1: Social housing stock, average number of people per household, and estimated number of people in social housing, 1999 to 2015

Year	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Local authority stock as at March	584,375	564,783	546,962	527,454	414,256	388,160	373,554	361,876	345,744
Housing association stock as at March	127,894	130,925	138,709	143,188	238,472	251,074	251,475	251,100	261,447
Total social housing stock as at March	726,283	707,267	691,524	673,819	654,730	640,392	625,508	612,976	607,191
Vacant local authority stock as at March	19,843	21,530	22,062	20,746	16,474	14,399	14,050	12,060	10,289
Estimated vacant housing assocation stock	1,226	1,255	1,330	1,373	2,286	2,407	2,411	2,407	2,506
Total estimated vacant social stock as at March	21,069	22,785	23,392	22,119	18,760	16,806	16,461	14,467	12,795
Estimated occupied social stock as at March	705,214	684,482	668,132	651,700	635,970	623,586	609,047	598,509	594,396
Average number of adults per social household	1.6	1.6	1.6	1.5	1.6	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.6
Average number of children per social household	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.4
Average total number of people per social household	2.1	2.1	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0
Estimated number of adults in social housing (millions)	1.12	1.08	1.04	1.00	0.99	0.95	0.93	0.92	0.93
Estimated number of children in social housing (millions)	0.37	0.33	0.31	0.31	0.30	0.27	0.29	0.27	0.26
Estimated total number of people in social housing (millions)	1.49	1.41	1.35	1.31	1.28	1.22	1.22	1.19	1.18
Year	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Local authority stock as at March	329,524	325,648	323,138	319,878	319,384	318,160	317,572	317,005
Housing association stock as at March	269,398	268,427	272,401	274,996	277,484	277,379	277,394	278,047
Total social housing stock as at March	598,922	594,075	595,539	594,874	596,868	595,539	594,966	595,052
Local authority vacant stock as at March	9,269	9,120	9,756	7,667	7,847	7,013	6,556	6,515
Estimated vacant housing assocation stock	2,583	2,573	2,710	2,605	2,576	2,855	2,470	2,676
Total estimated vacant social stock as at March	11,852	11,693	12,466	10,272	10,423	9,868	9,026	9,191
Estimated occupied social stock as at March	587,070	582,382	583,073	584,602	586,445	585,671	585,940	585,861
Average number of adults per social household	1.6	1.6	1.6	1.6	1.6	1.6	1.6	1.6
Average number of children per social household	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4
Average total number of people per social household	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	1.9
Estimated number of adults in social housing (millions)	0.93	0.91	0.91	0.91	0.91	0.93	0.91	0.91
Estimated number of children in social housing (millions)	0.26	0.24	0.24	0.24	0.24	0.24	0.23	0.23
Estimated total number of people in social housing (millions)	1.19	1.15	1.15	1.15	1.16	1.17	1.15	1.14

Sources: Scottish Government Housing Statistics for Scotland, Scottish Housing Regulator data, Scottish Household Survey data
Notes: Vacant housing association stock has been estimated for the years 1999 to 2009 by applying a percentage figure 0f 0.96% to the total stock figures for each year, a proportion based on the vacant normal letting stock figures available across the years 2010 to 2015.
The number of people in social housing has been estimated by applying the average number of people per household to the number of social stock units after netting off vacant stock

Further detail on public sector stock figures is available from the 'Housing Statistics for Scotland 2016: Key Trends Summary' ^[1] and associated web tables ^[2] .

The introduction of Right to Buy legislation in 1979 had a substantial impact on the profile of Scottish housing, with nearly half a million social housing properties being sold from 1979 to 2015. The provision to end Right to Buy with a two year notice period was included in the Housing (Scotland) Act which received Royal Assent on 1 August 2014, and the scheme subsequently closed to all new applicants on 31 July 2016.

Further detail on Right to Buy sales statistics is available in the 'Housing Statistics for Scotland Key Trends Summary 2016' and associated web tables ^{[3] [4]}.

Detailed statistics on other factors associated with social housing stock levels, such as new build housing by local authorities and housing associations, are available in the quarterly housing statistics updates ^[5] .

2.2 Local authorities and housing associations – stock levels and operating areas

Table 2.2 below shows the number and percentage of local authorities and housing associations by the size of their stock as at end March 2015. It can be seen that local authorities generally had a larger size of stock, with almost two-thirds (65%) of the 26 local authorities having stock levels between 5,001 and 20,000 homes, whilst more than eight in ten (83%) housing associations had stock levels of 2,500 homes or less.

Table 2.2: Social housing stock by size, 2015

Stock size	Number of local authorities	Local authority %	Number of housing associations	Housing association %
0 to 1,000	1	4%	88	54%
Over 1,000 to 2,500	1	4%	46	28%
Over 2,500 to 5,000	3	12%	18	11%
Over 5,000 to 10,000	7	27%	8	5%
Over 10,000 to 20,000	10	38%	1	1%
Over 20,000	4	15%	1	1%

Sources: Scottish Government Housing Statistics for Scotland and Scottish Housing Regulator Stock data

Whilst local authorities operate within each of their own specific areas, housing associations can operate across different local authority areas. Table 2.3 below shows the number and percentage of housing associations by the number of different local authority areas that they operated in as at March 2015. It can be seen that 70% operated in a single local authority area; 18% operated in 2 to 5 different local authority areas, whilst the remaining 12% operated across 6 or more local authority areas.

Table 2.3: Housing association operating areas, 2015

Number of local authority areas operated in	Number of housing associations	Housing association %
1	113	70%
2 to 5	29	18%
6 to 10	10	6%
11 to 20	4	2%
21 or more	6	4%

Source: Scottish Housing Regulator Stock Data

Table 2.4 below shows the amount of social rented housing stock in each local authority area as at March 2015, split by local authority and housing association stock. The 6 stock transfer authorities had no local authority stock. For the other 26 local authorities, local authority stock as a proportion of all social stock varied from 52% in the City of Edinburgh to 83% in Aberdeen City. At a Scotland level 53% of social rented housing stock was owned by local authorities, with 47% being owned by housing associations.

Table 2.4: Social housing stock in each local authority area, as at 31 March 2015

Local Authority Area	Local authority stock	Housing association stock	Total social housing stock	% of stock that is Local authority	% of stock that is housing association	Total number of dwellings	Social stock as a proportion of all dwellings
Aberdeen City	22,328	4,454	26,782	83%	17%	113,871	24%
Aberdeenshire	12,856	4,598	17,454	74%	26%	114,655	15%
Angus	7,764	3,476	11,240	69%	31%	55,443	20%
Argyll and Bute	-	8,260	8,260	-	100%	47,606	17%
Clackmannanshire	4,989	1,935	6,924	72%	28%	24,055	29%
Dumfries and Galloway	-	13,889	13,889	-	100%	74,043	19%
Dundee City	12,774	8,403	21,177	60%	40%	73,632	29%
East Ayrshire	12,724	3,416	16,140	79%	21%	57,489	28%
East Dunbartonshire	3,604	1,898	5,502	66%	34%	45,480	12%
East Lothian	8,598	2,191	10,789	80%	20%	46,150	23%
East Renfrewshire	3,003	1,381	4,384	68%	32%	37,957	12%
Edinburgh, City of	19,920	18,066	37,986	52%	48%	240,479	16%
Falkirk	16,328	3,465	19,793	82%	18%	72,957	27%
Fife	29,902	8,854	38,756	77%	23%	172,896	22%
Glasgow City	-	106,207	106,207	-	100%	302,952	35%
Highland	13,799	6,794	20,593	67%	33%	115,071	18%
Inverclyde	-	10,043	10,043	-	100%	38,743	26%
Midlothian	6,868	3,138	10,006	69%	31%	38,417	26%
Moray	5,996	2,309	8,305	72%	28%	43,942	19%
Na h-Eileanan Siar	-	2,272	2,272	-	100%	14,549	16%
North Ayrshire	13,148	4,806	17,954	73%	27%	67,397	27%
North Lanarkshire	36,834	9,481	46,315	80%	20%	151,859	30%
Orkney Islands	926	692	1,618	57%	43%	10,870	15%
Perth and Kinross	7,415	3,797	11,212	66%	34%	70,570	16%
Renfrewshire	12,497	7,940	20,437	61%	39%	84,720	24%
Scottish Borders	-	11,732	11,732	-	100%	57,451	20%
Shetland Islands	1,747	597	2,344	75%	25%	10,986	21%
South Ayrshire	8,125	2,160	10,285	79%	21%	54,562	19%
South Lanarkshire	25,201	6,536	31,737	79%	21%	147,387	22%
Stirling	5,618	2,075	7,693	73%	27%	40,483	19%
West Dunbartonshire	10,766	5,853	16,619	65%	35%	44,895	37%
West Lothian	13,275	7,329	20,604	64%	36%	77,510	27%
Scotland	317,005	278,047	595,052	53%	47%	2,549,072	23%

Sources: Scottish Government Housing Statistics for Scotland and Scottish Housing Regulator Stock data
Note: Total dwellings for March 2015 are estimated based on an average of NRS dwelling counts from Sept 2014 and Sept 2015.

Total social rented housing stock as a percentage of all dwellings in 2015 varied from 12% in East Dunbartonshire and 12% in East Renfrewshire to 35% in Glasgow and 37% in West Dunbartonshire.

2.3 Stock by tenure, Scotland, England and Wales

Chart 2.3 and Table 2.5 below show stock by tenure for Scotland from 2001 to 2015. In 2015 Scotland had a total of 2.55 million dwellings. Social rented housing stock totalled 595 thousand dwellings, 23% of the total. There were 1.57 million owner occupied dwellings (62% of the total) and 382 thousand private rented dwellings (15% of the total).

From 2014 to 2015, the total number of dwellings in Scotland increased by 1%. The number of social rented properties stayed similar year on year (0% change), the number of private rented dwellings increased by 2%, and the number of owner occupier dwellings stayed similar year on year (0% change).

Over the longer term period from 2001 to 2015, the total number of dwellings in Scotland has increased by 10%. The number of social rented properties has dropped by 14%, whilst the number of private rented dwellings has more than doubled (a 121% increase), and the number of owner occupier dwellings has increased by 8%.

Chart 2.3: Stock by tenure (thousands of units), Scotland, 2001 to 2015

Table 2.5: Stock by tenure, Scotland, 2001 to 2015 (thousands of units)

	All dwellings	Social Rented Housing Stock	Private Rented Dwellings	Owner Occupied Dwellings	Social Rented Housing Stock (%)	Private Rented Dwellings (%)	Owner Occupied Dwellings (%)
2001	2,312	692	173	1,448	30%	7%	63%
2002	2,329	674	171	1,485	29%	7%	64%
2003	2,347	655	179	1,513	28%	8%	64%
2004	2,367	640	203	1,523	27%	9%	64%
2005	2,387	626	215	1,546	26%	9%	65%
2006	2,406	613	224	1,569	25%	9%	65%
2007	2,428	607	247	1,574	25%	10%	65%
2008	2,451	599	248	1,604	24%	10%	65%
2009	2,469	594	272	1,603	24%	11%	65%
2010	2,482	596	288	1,599	24%	12%	64%
2011	2,495	595	304	1,596	24%	12%	64%
2012	2,508	597	347	1,564	24%	14%	62%
2013	2,521	596	368	1,557	24%	15%	62%
2014	2,534	594	375	1,565	23%	15%	62%
2015	2,549	595	382	1,572	23%	15%	62%
change from 2014 to 2015	1%	0%	2%	0%
change from 2001 to 2015	10%	-14%	121%	9%

Source: Scottish Government Housing Statistics for Scotland
Note: Private Rented includes accommodation tied to employment and others living rent free. Vacant private dwellings have been apportioned to the owner occupied category

Chart 2.4 below shows stock by tenure as a percentage of all dwellings in 2015 for Scotland, England and Wales. It can be seen that Scotland had the highest proportion of social renting stock (23%) compared to both England (17%) and Wales (16%). England had the highest proportion of private rented dwellings (20%), compared to Scotland and Wales (both 15%), whilst Wales had the highest proportion of owner occupier dwellings (69%) compared to both Scotland (62%) and England (62%).

Chart 2.4: Stock by tenure as a percentage of all dwellings in 2015 - Scotland, England and Wales

Charts 2.5 and 2.6 and Tables 2.6 and 2.7 below provide further detail on changes to stock by tenure for England and Wales. From these, along with the equivalent figures for Scotland, it can be seen that there have been similar increases in the total number of dwellings over the 2001 to 2015 time period in Scotland, England and Wales (10%, 11%, and 10%, respectively).

Social rented stock fell by 14% in Scotland between 2001 and 2015, a higher proportion than the equivalent figures for England (a 6% drop) and Wales (an 8% drop).

Each country has seen a similar increase in the number of private rented dwellings between 2001 and 2015, with increases being 121% in Scotland, 123% in England and 131% in Wales.

The number of owner occupier dwellings in Scotland in 2015 was 9% higher when compared to the numbers in 2001. Wales saw a 4% increase between these two years whilst England saw little change.

Chart 2.5: Stock by tenure (thousands of units), England, 2001 to 2015

Table 2.6: Stock by tenure, England 2001 to 2015 (thousands of units)

	All dwellings	Social Rented Housing Stock	Private Rented Dwellings	Owner Occupied Dwellings	Social Rented Housing Stock (%)	Private Rented Dwellings (%)	Owner Occupied Dwellings (%)
2001	21,207	4,339	2,133	14,735	20%	10%	69%
2002	21,354	4,310	2,197	14,846	20%	10%	70%
2003	21,513	4,212	2,549	14,752	20%	12%	69%
2004	21,684	4,120	2,578	14,986	19%	12%	69%
2005	21,870	4,050	2,720	15,100	19%	12%	69%
2006	22,073	4,034	2,987	15,052	18%	14%	68%
2007	22,288	4,013	3,182	15,093	18%	14%	68%
2008	22,511	4,000	3,443	15,067	18%	15%	67%
2009	22,694	4,022	3,705	14,968	18%	16%	66%
2010	22,839	4,032	3,912	14,895	18%	17%	65%
2011	22,976	4,044	4,105	14,827	18%	18%	65%
2012	23,111	4,072	4,286	14,754	18%	19%	64%
2013	23,236	4,086	4,465	14,685	18%	19%	63%
2014	23,372	4,076	4,623	14,674	17%	20%	63%
2015	23,543	4,085	4,747	14,710	17%	20%	62%
change from 2014 to 2015	1%	0%	3%	0%
change from 2001 to 2015	11%	-6%	123%	0%

Source: Department for Communities and Local Government Live Tables on Housing Stock

Chart 2.6: Stock by tenure (thousands of units), Wales, 2001 to 2015

Table 2.7: Stock by tenure, Wales 2001 to 2015 (thousands of units)

	All dwellings	Social Rented Housing Stock	Private Rented Dwellings	Owner Occupied Dwellings	Social Rented Housing Stock (%)	Private Rented Dwellings (%)	Owner Occupied Dwellings (%)
2001	1,275	243	90	941	19%	7%	74%
2002	1,285	240	89	957	19%	7%	74%
2003	1,296	233	97	966	18%	7%	75%
2004	1,307	224	104	979	17%	8%	75%
2005	1,319	221	109	989	17%	8%	75%
2006	1,331	220	113	997	17%	8%	75%
2007	1,343	220	122	1,002	16%	9%	75%
2008	1,355	219	135	1,001	16%	10%	74%
2009	1,366	220	157	989	16%	11%	72%
2010	1,375	221	170	984	16%	12%	72%
2011	1,384	223	180	981	16%	13%	71%
2012	1,389	223	189	977	16%	14%	70%
2013	1,394	223	188	983	16%	13%	71%
2014	1,400	223	196	981	16%	14%	70%
2015	1,406	224	208	974	16%	15%	69%
change from 2014 to 2015	0%	0%	6%	-1%
change from 2001 to 2015	10%	-8%	131%	4%

Source: Department for Communities and Local Government Live Tables on Housing Stock

2.4 Types of dwellings (houses/flats)

Based on households interviewed as part of the Scottish Household Survey, 44% of social rented households in Scotland in 2015 were living in a house, a similar level to the 42% figure in 1999. Correspondingly, 56% of households were living in a flat in 2015, a similar level to 58% in 1999.

Chart 2.7: Dwelling type of social rented households, 1999, 2006 and 2015

There were however some differences in dwelling types between social landlord providers in 2015, with 50% of local authority households living in houses and 50% living in flats, whilst only 35% of housing association households were living in a house and 65% living in a flat.

Chart 2.8: Dwelling type of social rented households 2015, by social landlord

In 2015, 35% of private rented households were living in houses, the same proportion as housing association households. Owner occupied households were much more likely to be living in houses, with 78% of households buying with a mortgage living in a house and 82% of households who own outright living in a house.

Chart 2.9: Dwelling type of households 2015, by tenure

When looking solely at social rented households in which an adult had moved into the property within the last 12 months (which includes new-lets as well as changes to existing household compositions), 49% of local authority and 35% of housing association households were living in a house in 2012 to 2015, figures which are similar to those for all social households in 2015. This would suggest that newly formed social rented households are living in dwelling types (houses/flats) that are similar to more established social households.

Chart 2.10: Dwelling type of social rented households, 2012 to 2015 - where an adult has moved into the address within the last 12 months

2.5 Number of bedrooms

Based on responses from households interviewed for the Scottish Household Survey, Dwellings occupied by social rented households in 2015 contained an average of 2.0 bedrooms, a decrease on the average of 2.1 bedrooms per dwelling in 1999.

The most common size of social rented dwelling in 2015 was 2 bedrooms, with 45% of dwellings being this size, a similar level to 1999 (45%).

In 2015, 29% of social rented dwellings contained 1 bedroom, an increase from 25% in 1999, whilst 22% of dwellings contained 3 bedrooms, a drop from 27% in 1999.

Chart 2.11: Bedroom size of social rented households, 1999, 2007 and 2015

There were similar values for average numbers of bedrooms between social landlord providers in 2015, with local authority dwellings on average containing 2.0 bedrooms compared with 1.9 for housing association dwellings.

Chart 2.12: Bedroom size of social rented households, 2015, by social landlord

There were some differences in bedroom sizes of dwellings in 2015 by tenure, with social rented dwellings having the smallest average size of 2.0 bedrooms. This compared to an average size of 2.2 bedrooms in private rented dwellings, 2.9 bedrooms in dwellings being bought with a mortgage and 2.9 bedrooms in dwellings owned outright.

Dwellings being bought with a mortgage and owned outright were much more likely to have 4 or more bedrooms (25% and 21% respectively).

Chart 2.13: Bedroom size of households 2015, by tenure

When looking solely at social rented households in which an adult had moved into the property within the last 12 months (which includes new-lets as well as changes to existing household compositions), bedroom sizes of these dwellings have been similar when compared to the figures for all social rented dwellings. Dwellings occupied by households where an adult had moved into the address within the last 12 months in 2012 to 2015 had on average 2.0 bedrooms. This is the same as the figure of 2.0 bedrooms of all social rented dwellings in 2015. This would suggest that newly formed social rented households are on average living in dwellings with a similar number of bedrooms to more established social households.

Chart 2.14: Bedroom size of social rented households 2015 - households where an adult has moved into the address within the last 12 months

2.6 Location of households in Areas of Multiple Deprivation

The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation ( SIMD ^[6] ) is a Scottish Government statistical tool for identifying places in Scotland suffering from deprivation. It incorporates several different aspects of deprivation, combining them into a single index. It divides Scotland into small areas and provides a relative ranking for each area from most deprived to least deprived.

Based on responses from households interviewed for the Scottish Household Survey, 46% of social rented households in 2015 were living in dwellings in the 20% most deprived areas of Scotland (as defined by the SIMD 2012 measure), a similar proportion to the years 2012 to 2014. Only 2% were living in the 20% least deprived areas of the country.

Chart 2.15: SIMD location of social rented households, 2012 to 2015

There were some differences in deprivation locations between social landlord providers in 2015, with 52% of housing association households living in dwellings in the 20% most deprived areas, compared to 41% of local authority households.

Chart 2.16: SIMD location of social rented households, 2015, by landord

There were also differences in deprivation locations between social households and other tenures. In 2015, 46% of social rented households were living in the 20% most deprived areas, compared to 17% of private rented households, 13% of households buying with a mortgage and 10% of households owning outright. Only 2% of social rented households were living in the 20% least deprived areas, which compared to 16% for private rented households, 23% for households buying with a mortgage and 27% of households owning outright.

Chart 2.17: SIMD location of households, 2015, by tenure

When looking solely at social rented households in which an adult had moved into the property within the last 12 months from 2012 to 2015 (which includes new-lets as well as changes to existing household compositions), 49% of social rented households were living in dwellings in the 20% most deprived areas, a value similar to the equivalent figure for all social households across this time period (46% in 2015). This suggests that newly formed social rented households had a similar likelihood of living in dwellings located in the 20% most deprived areas of the country compared with more established social households.

Chart 2.18: SIMD location of social rented households, 2012 to 2015, where an adult has moved into the address within the last 12 months

2.7 Location of households in rural or urban areas

The Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification 2013/14 ^[7] provides a standard definition of urban and rural areas in Scotland.

Based on responses from households interviewed for the Scottish Household Survey in 2015, 27% of local authority households were living in dwellings in large urban areas, compared to 56% of housing association households. Also, 47% of local authority households were living in other ( i.e. non-large) urban areas, compared with 27% of housing association households. These differences may be partly explained by stock transfers that have happened, for example all social rented housing in Glasgow is now provided by housing associations, properties which are mostly likely to fall within the large urban area category.

Chart 2.19: Urban Rural location of social rented households, 2015, by landord

The urban rural location of households in 2015 also varied across other tenures, with households buying with a mortgage or owning outright being more likely to live in accessible small towns or accessible rural areas compared to social households.

Chart 2.20: Urban Rural location of households, 2015, by tenure

2.8 Scottish Housing Quality Standard

The Scottish House Condition Survey ( SHCS) module of the Scottish Household Survey assesses properties under the Scottish Housing Quality Standard ( SHQS), a common standard for assessing the condition of Scottish housing.

The SHQS target for social housing was incorporated into the Scottish Social Housing Charter and the independent Scottish Housing Regulator ( SHR) is responsible for monitoring landlords' performance. Latest figures published by the SHR indicate that 92.8% of social homes met the SHQS in 2015/16. This is higher than the compliance rate estimated through the SHCS. Although both sources have shown substantial improvements in quality standards over time, there are some differences in the methods and the timing for collecting the data that account for the difference in headline rates.

In 2015, SHCS results showed that 38% of social rented dwellings failed the SHQS, a decrease from 52% of dwellings in 2012. Local authority properties were more likely to fail the standard (45%) than housing association properties (30%).

In 2015, social rented dwellings were on average less likely to fail the SHQS (38%) when compared with private housing dwellings (46%), although this difference was only marginally statistically significant.

Table 2.8: Number and proportion of dwellings failing the Scottish Housing Quality Standard ( SHQS), 2012 to 2015

	2012		2013		2014		2015
	% fail	Sample Base	% fail	Sample Base	% fail	Sample Base	% fail	Sample Base
All Scotland	54%	2,787	49%	2,725	47%	2,680	44%	2,750
Tenure:
Owned outright	57%	900	53%	880	48%	900	46%	930
Owned with a mortgage	50%	850	47%	850	47%	790	42%	810
Local Authority	59%	420	51%	390	47%	390	45%	380
Housing Association	42%	280	33%	280	41%	290	30%	280
Private Rented	63%	290	55%	300	54%	320	51%	360
All Private	55%	2,050	51%	2,020	48%	2,010	46%	2,100
All Social	52%	700	43%	660	45%	670	38%	660

Source: Scottish House Condition Survey Key Findings
Note that figures in 2014 and 2015 are not fully comparable with previous years

The most likely reason for social rented properties to fail the SHQS in 2015 was due to not being sufficiently energy efficient (26%). Whilst 10% were assessed as failing due to not being healthy, safe or secure, 8% failed due to lacking modern facilities or services, and 1% failed due to being below tolerable standards.

Table 2.9: Scottish Housing Quality Standard ( SHQS) criteria failure rates by tenure, 2012 to 2015

	2012	2013	2014	2015
All tenures:
SHQS Overall	54%	49%	47%	44%
Below Tolerable Standard	4%	3%	2%	2%
Serious Disrepair	0%	0%	0%	0%
Not Energy Efficient	42%	36%	35%	32%
Lacking Modern Facilities/Services	12%	11%	11%	9%
Not Healthy, Safe or Secure	16%	14%	14%	13%
Social:
SHQS Overall	52%	43%	45%	38%
Below Tolerable Standard	3%	3%	1%	1%
Serious Disrepair	0%	0%	0%	0%
Not Energy Efficient	39%	28%	30%	26%
Lacking Modern Facilities/Services	15%	12%	12%	8%
Not Healthy, Safe or Secure	13%	13%	14%	10%
Private:
SHQS Overall	55%	51%	48%	46%
Below Tolerable Standard	4%	3%	2%	2%
Serious Disrepair	0%	0%	0%	0%
Not Energy Efficient	43%	39%	37%	33%
Lacking Modern Facilities/Services	11%	11%	11%	9%
Not Healthy, Safe or Secure	17%	14%	14%	14%

Source: Scottish House Condition Survey Key Findings
Note that figures in 2014 and 2015 are not fully comparable with previous years