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Introduction
This summary document provides an introduction to the updated Housing Statistics for Scotland web tables which were first launched in November 2007. These interactive tables present comprehensive data on housing activity in Scotland up to 2007-08 (for annual data) or 30 June 2008 (for quarterly series).
The tables include information on public sector stock and house sales, demolitions, new build, local authority housing management, houses in multiple occupation, special needs housing, rent registration and private sector improvement grants.
Key Points
- New housing supply: new housing supply (new build, refurbishment and conversions) increased by 5% between 2006-07 and 2007-08, from 26,200 to 27,500 units. This was driven by increases in housing association and private completions. These data are the basis for National Indicator number 32 in the Scottish Government's 2007 Spending Review.
- New house building: In 2007-08, there were 25,700 completions in Scotland, an increase of 7% on the previous year. Starts however, fell by 7% from 28,400 in 2006-07 to 26,400 in 2007-08. There were 28 completions of local authority housing in 2007-08, all of which were in Midlothian.
- Sales of public authority dwellings: Sales of public authority dwellings fell by 18% in 2007-08, from 8,300 to 6,800. This continues the declining trend in sales observed over recent years since the introduction of the modernised Right to Buy, which came into effect on 30 September 2002.
- Public sector housing stock: At 31 March 2008, there were 329,500 local authority dwellings in Scotland. This represents 55% of all social sector housing, a decrease of 2 percentage points on the previous year.
- Public sector vacant stock: At 31 March 2008, there were 9,300 units of vacant stock, of which 33% consisted of normal letting stock. This represents 1% of all normal letting stock, and is unchanged from the previous year.
- Lettings: During 2007-08 there were about 27,000 permanent lettings of local authority dwellings, a decrease of nearly 10% compared to the previous year. Lets to homeless households represented 39% of all local authority lets in 2007-08, compared to 34% in 2006-07.
- Evictions: Eviction actions against local authority tenants resulted in 2,100 evictions or abandoned dwellings in 2007-08 (1,200 evictions, 900 abandoned dwellings). This is an increase of 3% on the previous year.
- Houses in multiple occupation: In 2007-08, 7,200 applications were received in respect of the mandatory licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation. At 31 March 2008 there were 10,200 licences in force, representing an increase of 28% over the previous year.
- Improvement of dwellings: The total amount of grant approved for private sector housing improvement and repair grants in 2007-08 was £57.7 million, an increase of 22% over the previous year.
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