Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) A Managers Guide (2026)

Introduction

1.1 This guide explains the purpose of an HNDA. It is for managers engaged in planning for housing. It sets out the HNDA process, requirements for achieving robust and credible status and how the HNDA is used for housing policy (LHS) and land use (LDP).

1.2 The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 places a responsibility on local authorities to prepare an LHS supported by an assessment of housing current and future housing requirements including housing and related services. The Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 (as amended) requires local authorities to plan for land use in their area, including the allocation of land for housing. The HNDA evidence-base supports both this process.

1.3 To support local authorities to estimate future housing need the Scottish Government has developed the HNDA Tool. The Tool aims to reduce the cost and complexity of the process and to bring together sources of national data in a way which supports consistency of approach to estimating housing need and demand.

1.4 More detailed, technical guidance for HNDA Practitioners can be found on the following website Scottish Government Centre for Housing Market Analysis.