'Drastic and far-reaching' housing crisis laid bare as new study finds 693,000 Scottish households face hardship

Survey highlights struggles faced by 28 per cent of households across the nation

A new report has found that Scotland’s housing crisis is far worse than previously thought, with more than a quarter of households struggling.

The most comprehensive survey of its kind has concluded that 693,000 households, about 28 per cent of the total, have at least one form of housing need.

The figure includes 185,000 homes where the occupants struggle with the cost of housing, as well as 123,000 properties judged to be “overcrowded”, 85,000 said to be “unfit”, and 373,000 households where at least one person wants to move out but cannot.

Aerial view of terraced housing. Victoria Jones/PA Wire

The report was commissioned by Homes for Scotland (HFS), which represents house builders, and carried out by the Diffley Partnership and Rettie & Co.

It follows the declaration of “housing emergencies” by local authorities in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Argyll and Bute last year.

The study, which surveyed 13,690 people, found current Scottish Government estimates of housing need, calculated through the Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) tool, have significantly underestimated how many really face housing hardship.

HFS chief executive Jane Wood said: “Adequate housing is a human right, but today more than a quarter of households in Scotland are in one or more forms of housing need. There is simply no excuse for Scotland to continue on this path.”

Jane Wood is Chief Executive of Homes for Scotland.

She added: “As this comprehensive report demonstrates, the level of housing need far exceeds the current calculations used to determine where and how many homes need to be built in Scotland.

"It provides local authorities and the Scottish Government with an easy and robust data tool to help them understand true housing need at local and national levels.”

Dr John Boyle, of Rettie & Co, the lead author of the report, said accurate data was key to addressing the housing crisis.

"Several solutions will be required to resolve the wider need that has been identified, such as bringing empty homes back into use, but it is clear that the building of new homes must play a significant part,” he said.

"As such, sufficient land must be allocated in Local Development Plans for much needed homes of all tenures.

“Scotland’s chronic undersupply of housing has already had a drastic and far-reaching impact on its economic and social development.

"If we don’t get this sorted, the consequences across a broad range of national outcomes - from health to education to wellbeing - will be severe.”

Housing Minister Paul McLennan said: “Everyone in Scotland deserves the right to a warm and safe place they can call home.

"The Scottish Government has led the UK in housing by delivering 126,396 affordable homes since 2007, over 89,000 of which were for social rent, including 23,625 council homes. This is over 40 per cent more affordable homes delivered per head of population than in England, and over 70 per cent more than in Wales.”

He added: “We will invest £556 million in affordable housing next year to increase the delivery of more affordable homes, the majority of which will be for social rent, including supporting acquisitions of existing properties.

"We will also work with the financial community to attract private sector investment and help deliver more homes.”