industry news
Big tenure changes north of the border
T
he Scottish private rented sector has nearly tripled in size as a proportion of the country’s housing stock since the
turn of the century, the latest household survey has revealed. The annual survey covers many aspects of
life in Scotland and highlights some fascinating details and trends, with changes in the profile of housing tenure being among the most significant. Over the past 16 years, the total number of households has increased by 11 per cent from 2.19 million households in 1999 to 2.43m households in 2015. The biggest single change shows the private
rented sector grew from 5 per cent in 1999 to 14 per cent in 2015, an estimated 192 per cent increase. This equates to 350,000 households in the private rented sector, 91,000 of which have children.
Moving in the opposite direction, the
percentage of households in the social rented sector fell from 32 per cent in 1999 to 23 per cent in 2007, (a 22 per cent drop) and has remained at 23 per cent of all households since then. The number of households in owner
occupation grew from 61 per cent in 1999 to 66 per cent in 2005, but then fell back between 2009 and 2014 to 60 per cent, and in 2015 was around the same level at 61 per cent.
Trends
Looking back over a longer period to the 1960s, the long-term trend has been even more marked with the proportion of owner- occupation, increasing from just 30 per cent in 1969 to 66 per cent in 2005, before dropping back to 61 per cent now.
The long-term increase in ownership has been mirrored over the same time period by a sharp decline in the social rented sector, which in 1969 accounted for around 50 per cent of all households compared to 23 per cent in 2015. The proportion of households in the private rented sector also decreased from around 20 per cent in 1969 to 5 per cent in 1999, before increasing to 14 per cent in 2015. While 39 per cent of tenants living in social
rented properties said they would like to be homeowners, the majority – 51 per cent – said they preferred living in the social rented sector. Tenants in the social rented sector had lived in
their properties longer than those in the private rented sector. In the private rented sector, 43 per cent of tenants had lived in their property for less than a year, whereas social rented sector tenants tended to have lived in their homes between five and 10 years. More than four in 10 of local authority social
rented properties and more than half of housing association properties were in the 20 per cent most deprived areas of Scotland. Only 39 per cent of tenants in the social rented sector rated their area as a very good place to live, a lower percentage than in other tenures. However, almost three-quarters do not expect to move from their property in the future. One positive piece of news was that despite
an increase in the number of households in total, there was a maked decrease in the number of local authority waiting lists, down from 160,000 to 130,000 households.
Regulatory judgements
Breaches of fire safety procedures saw St Vincent’s Housing Association and Tower Hamlets Community Housing being issued with regulatory notices by the Homes & Communities Agency. Spokesmen for both landlords said carrying
out corrective works was a top priority, with recovery plans an urgent matter. Colne Housing Society was downgraded to a
compliant G2 after failing to submit accurate financial information to its board and the regulator. A spokesperson said an
improvement plan was in place to address the HCA’s findings. Aldwyck Housing Group was reissued with a
compliant G2 and V2 governance and viability grading following an in-depth assessment with the regulator.
THE SPECIFIER’S
GUIDE
to ceramic tiles and calibrated natural stone
www.specifiersguide.co.uk Go online and subscribe to get your FREE copy
The Specifier’s Guide to Ceramic Tiles and Calibrated Natural Stone offers architects, interior designers and other construction professionals a comprehensive guide to the technical and aesthetic properties of ceramic and natural stone tiles.
18 | HMM November 2016 |
www.housingmmonline.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60