Housing statistics quarterly update: September 2018

New Build Housing – Private-led – up to end March 2018

The private sector is the biggest contributor to overall house building, accounting for just under four-fifths (74%) of all homes completed in the 12 months to end March 2018.

Chart 5: Annual private sector led new build starts and completions, years to end March, 2008 to 20018

Chart 6: Quarterly new build and completions (private-led), since 2007 up to end March 2018

Trends over the last ten years – private sector

In 2008 (year to end March) the number of private sector homes started was around 20,100, while completions were just under 21,700. Private sector led new build housing was hit particularly hard by the recession. The number of homes completed dropped steeply between 2008 and 2010 then continued to decrease more gradually to just under 9,900 in 2013. Since then, the number of homes completed increased each year, until 2016, but has decreased in the two latest years, bringing completions to just over 13,100 in the year to end March 2018.

In September 2013 the Scottish Government introduced the Help to Buy (Scotland) scheme which has aimed to support buyers purchasing a new build home and to stimulate the house building industry. Following this, the Help to Buy (Scotland) Affordable New Build and Help to Buy (Scotland) Smaller Developers schemes were launched on 21 January 2016. Further information on the schemes, along with monitoring information setting out numbers of sales, is available at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/BuyingSelling/help-to-buy.

Trends to end March 2018 – private sector

Between January and March 2018, 2,825 private sector led homes were completed; 16% fewer (532 homes) than the same quarter in 2017. This brings the total for the year to end March 2018 to 13,102 which is 2% less (325 homes) than the 13,427 completions in the previous year.

There were 2,798 private sector led starts between January and March 2018, 8% less than (246 homes) than the same quarter in 2017. This brings the total for the year ending March 2018 to 13,527 which is 1% more (119 homes) than the 13,408 starts in the previous year.

Sub-national figures for the year to end March 2018 – private sector

Map B shows the rates per 10,000 head of population (based on the latest mid-2017 population estimates) of private sector led new build completions in each local authority for the year to end March 2018.

The highest completion rates have been in East Lothian, Midlothian, Aberdeen City and Renfrewshire. The lowest rates meanwhile, have been in Inverclyde, Argyll & Bute, North Ayrshire and Glasgow City.

Map B: New build housing - Private sector completions: rates per 10,000 population, year to end March 2018