The Scottish House Condition Survey for 2015 has been published, with key findings including that the level of disrepair remained unchanged on the previous year and that carbon emissions for older properties (pre-1919) have decreased in the last year from 102 kg per square meter of floor area to 93 kg/m2 in 2015, a reduction of nearly 10%.
Key findings include:
- The level of disrepair remained unchanged in the last year. In 2015, 73% of all dwellings had some degree of disrepair, however minor. Disrepair to critical elements stood at 52%, 33% of dwellings had some instances of urgent disrepair, and in 8% of the housing stock some extensive disrepair was present.
- Levels of damp and condensation remained similar to 2014 levels. Around 9 out of 10 properties were free from any damp or condensation, an improvement of around 3 percentage points since 2013.
- Across the stock as a whole, Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) compliance remained similar to 2014 levels. In 2015, just under 44% (43.8%) of Scottish homes failed to meet the SHQS, compared to 47.5% in the previous year.
- Overcrowding levels in Scotland remain unchanged: 3% of all households (70,000) were living in overcrowded accommodation in 2015.
- The proportion of dwellings with environmental impact ratings in band C or better in 2015 was 27%. The average rating was 58 which lies in band D.
- Based on modelled energy use the average Scottish home is estimated to produce 7.3 tonnes of CO2 per year. Carbon emissions for older properties (pre-1919) have decreased in the last year from 102 kg per square meter of floor area to 93 kg/m2 in 2015, a reduction of nearly 10%.
- In 2015 fuel poverty declined by about 4 percentage points, equivalent to around 97,000 fewer households living in fuel poverty compared to 2014. 30.7% (or around 748,000) households were fuel poor and 8.3% (or 203,000 households) were living in extreme fuel poverty in 2015.
