Social sector new housebuilding

The social sector housing (local authority and housing association units combined) accounted for 21% of all new build homes completed in 2025.

The social sector built 3,611 homes new homes and started 3,070 new builds in 2025. Completions were down 25% (-1,224) and starts down 15% (-557) between 2024 and 2025. Completions in the social sector were the lowest since 2014 and starts were the lowest since this series of data began reporting from 1997, as illustrated in Chart 3a and 3b.

Chart 3a: Social sector led new housebuilding starts, Scotland, 1997 to 2025

 Chart 3b: Social sector led new housebuilding completions, Scotland, 1997 to 2025

In 2025 there were 1,906 housing association led completions, 1,771 housing association led starts and there were 1,705 local authority led completions and 1,299 local authority led starts.

Between 2024 and 2025, local authority led starts decreased (-13%, -194 homes) and housing association starts decreased (-17%, -363 homes). Local authority led completions decreased (-1%, -19 homes) and housing association completions decreased (-39%, -1,205 homes).

Map C below shows the rates of social sector new build completions in each local authority area for 2025 per 10,000 of the population.

Map C: New build housing – social sector completions: rates per 10,000 population, 2025

Social sector new completion build rates were highest in Midlothian and City of Edinburgh with a rate of over 15 homes per 10,000 population.

There were six local authorities who built no social sector homes in 2025 (Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Inverclyde, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands).

Local authority new build rates were highest in Aberdeen City having rates of over 12 homes per 10,000 population. Nine local authorities built no local authority homes in 2025 (Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee City, East Dunbartonshire, Orkney Islands, Renfrewshire, Shetland Islands, South Lanarkshire, and West Lothian). This excludes the six local authorities that transferred their stock to housing associations so do not build new local authority houses (Argyll & Bute, Dumfries & Galloway, Glasgow, Inverclyde, Na h-Eileanan Siar and Scottish Borders).

Housing association new build rates were highest in Dundee City with a rate of over 10 homes per 10,000 population. There were no housing association homes built in 11 local authorities in 2025 (Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and South Ayrshire).

The latest quarterly data and comparison of quarters in 2024 and 2025 are shown in the ‘Quarterly Comparisons’ section. Timeseries data along with local authority breakdowns are contained in the supporting Excel tables.