Housing stock growth in Scotland at lowest level in a decade

Between April 2025 and March 2026, Scotland expanded its net housing stock at the slowest pace in ten years.

According to the Scottish government’s latest housing statistics, 18,028 new homes were added to the country’s stock. This is 8% fewer than the previous year and the lowest since 2014/15, excluding the covid-19 period when construction was halted.

Scotland had an estimated 2.75 million homes as of March 2025. Most (60%) were owner-occupied, with around 23% social rented and 13% private rented or occupied rent-free. The remaining 4% were vacant properties or second homes.

Gordon Llewellyn-MacRae, interim director at Shelter Scotland, said the country is “simply not building social homes fast enough, nor investing at the scale Scotland’s housing emergency demands”.

He called on the chancellor to support Scotland in today’s Budget announcement by unfreezing local housing allowance, scrapping the bedroom tax and direct any extra capital funding towards delivering more social homes.

As of March 2026, local authorities managed 52% of Scotland’s social housing stock, with 10,253 vacant council homes recorded - up 4% compared to the previous year.

Almost half (49%) of vacant homes were normal lettings stock, which typically includes homes that become empty between tenancies. The majority (69%) were vacant for less than six months.

Meanwhile, local authorities made 22,843 permanent lettings during 2025/26, down 4% on last year. Half were made to homeless households, a quarter to waiting list applicants and 22% to existing tenants transferring homes.

The statistical release follows July’s news that housebuilding across all sectors in Scotland fell to the lowest level since 2016/17, not including pandemic-hit figures.