This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Latest housing trends published
29/07/2003
Information on housing is published today in the
statistical bulletin
Housing Trends in Scotland: Quarter Ending 31 March
2003.
The bulletin includes quarterly information on public
sector house sales, new house building and local authority
lettings and evictions. It also contains annual information
on public sector stock, special needs housing, changes to
local authority housing list, Houses in Multiple Occupation
(HMOs) and private sector improvement grants.Sales of
Public Authority Dwellings
- 6,278 applications were made by sitting tenants to
buy public authority dwellings during the quarter
January-March 2003. This represents a decrease of 171
(3%) on the number of applications during the same
period of 2002. 5,258 public authority dwellings were
sold to sitting tenants during the quarter
January-March 2003, an increase of 1,554 (42%) on the
same period in 2002.
New House Building
- 7,133 new dwellings were started during
January-March 2003, 796 (13%) more than during the same
period in 2002. 5,711 new dwellings were completed
during the quarter January-March 2003, 122 (2%) less
than during the same period in 2002.
Local Authority Lettings and Evictions
- Local authorities reported that 12,852 permanent
lettings were made of local authority dwellings during
the quarter January-March 2003, 81 more than were made
during January-March 2002.Around half of the lettings
made during the quarter were to households from local
authority housing lists; 26% were made to existing
tenants and a further 20% were made to households that
were presented to local authorities as homeless.
- Local authorities reported that there were 219
evictions of local authority tenants during the quarter
January-March 2003, 96 (30%) less than during the same
quarter of 2002.
- Of the evictions which occurred during this
quarter, 12 were as a result of anti-social
behaviour.
Housing Lists
- There were a total of 223,687 applicants on Local
Authority housing lists (including waiting and transfer
lists) at 31 March 2003, some 6,000 less than at 1
April 2002. Of these, an estimated 129,335 were on
waiting lists.
Public Sector Stock
- There were 513,036 public sector dwellings at 31
March 2003, of which 20,757 were vacant.
Special Needs Housing
- Local authorities provided 18,504 sheltered and 308
very sheltered dwellings for the elderly at 31 March
2003, roughly 320 less sheltered and 35 more very
sheltered than at 31 March 2002.
Houses in Multiple Occupation
- In the year to 31 March 2003, 2,859 applications
were received in respect of the mandatory licensing
scheme for houses in multiple occupation.
- There were 1,992 licences in force as at 31 March
2003, 64% (1,225) of which were for flats or houses let
as a whole and 13% (256) were for students' halls of
residence. The remaining 20% included bedsits,
sheltered accommodation, hostels, landlords with
lodgers, nurses' homes, NHS and other employee
residences, as well as B&Bs, hotels and guesthouses
where these are being used as a person's only or
principal residence.
Private Sector Improvements Grants
- £35.1 million was spent on all private sector
improvement grants that received final or only payment
during the financial year 2002/03. These grants
benefited some 12,105 dwellings.
Non-media copies can be obtained, priced £2, from The
Stationery Office Bookshop, 21 South Gyle Road, Edinburgh
EH12 9EB.