Between April 2025 and March 2026, Scotland added 18,028 new homes to its housing stock. This figure represents an 8% decrease from the previous year and marks the lowest number of new builds since the 2014-15 period, excluding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Analysis of household characteristics by tenure reveals distinct demographic and social patterns. Owner-occupied households tend to have older residents, with 47% having a highest-income earner aged 60 or over, compared to 12% in the private rented sector and 37% in the social rented sector. Private rented households showed greater ethnic diversity, with 11% of adults from minority ethnic groups, versus 2% in owner-occupied homes and 5% in social housing. Long-term health conditions were more prevalent in social rented households, with 61% reporting at least one member with such a condition, compared to 26% in private rentals and 34% in owner-occupied homes.
Housing costs present a greater risk of relocation for those in the private rented sector, with 12% indicating they may need to move due to expenses, significantly higher than the 3% in owner-occupied and 5% in social rented households.
Local authorities managed approximately 329,788 homes as of March 2026, constituting 52% of Scotland's social housing stock. Vacant council homes increased by 4% to 10,253, including properties awaiting modernisation or demolition. Of these vacant homes, 49% were standard lettable stock, typically empty between tenancies and prepared for new occupants, with 69% vacant for less than six months.
Permanent lettings by local authorities decreased by 14% to 22,843 during 2025-26. Homeless households accounted for 51% of these lettings, followed by waiting list applicants (25%) and existing tenants transferring (22%). Waiting list numbers saw an increase in nine out of 26 local authorities with housing stock.
In 2025-26, local authorities issued 16,104 notices to begin eviction proceedings, a similar level to the previous year and 34% lower than pre-pandemic figures. Completed evictions or tenant abandonments totalled 646, with 94% linked to rent arrears, a 4% decrease from 2024-25.
Local authorities manage 19,963 supported homes for older people and 29,413 for individuals with physical disabilities, an 18% increase over the past decade.
