The Scottish Government

Commentary

• Data on tenure from the Scottish Household Survey show gradual but relatively consistent changes for home ownership and renting from public authorities (local authorities or Scottish Homes):
• While the overall proportion of owner-occupiers has increased slightly between 1999 and 2009 quarter 2 to around 65 per cent, the proportion who are buying with help of a mortgage has dropped slightly since 2002. This coincides with the rise in house prices in Scotland at that time and the associated drop in the proportion of first-time buyers. Over the last decade, the proportion of those who own their homes outright has steadily increased, from 22 per cent in 1999 to 29 per cent in 2009 quarter 2.
• The proportion of respondents renting from public authorities (local authorities and Scottish Homes) has nearly halved since 1999, from 29 per cent to under 16 per cent in the second quarter of 2009.
• The data show a gradual increase in the proportion of respondents renting from a private landlord over recent years, from 5 per cent in 1999 to almost 10 per cent in 2009 quarter 2.

The apparent quarter-to-quarter fluctuations in the figures may well be the result of sampling variability. Quarter-to-quarter changes should therefore be interpreted with caution.

Data

Household Tenure

Percent of Households

Notes

As of 2006, all Scottish Homes housing stock had been transferred to Housing Associations. Therefore, 'Local Authorities and Scottish Homes' then became 'Local Authority'.