A report from Homes for Scotland, the house builders association, has found that 28% of Scottish households are in some form of housing need. This is estimated to be around 693,000 households in Scotland.
The research found that levels of housing need in Scotland are more complex and much higher than is currently being accounted for by the Scottish Government’s Housing Need and Demand assessment tool.
The report estimates that there are; 15,000 households in homeless or temporary accommodation, 85,000 unfit properties, 85,000 households living in Properties without the specialised adaptations required, 123,000 living in overcrowded accommodation and 185,000 households who are struggling financially due to high housing costs (i.e Spending more than 50% of their gross income on housing).
Shockingly, the report found that there were 373,000 concealed households in Scotland. These are individuals or groups in an existing household who want to move out and form their own household but are unable to do so, many of whom will be potential first time buyers unable to get get onto the housing ladder.
We welcome this important piece of work by Homes for Scotland and recommend you read it to get a fuller picture of the state of housing in Scotland