By Lucy Ashton
Working-age families are “paying the price” for the SNP’s failure to build affordable homes, Scottish Labour has warned after the number of Scots renting from a private landlord has soared.
Census data published today revealed that the number of people who rent from a private landlord or letting agency rose by 18 percent between 2011 and 2022, with around one third of Scots now renting overall.
At the same time, home ownership levels fell for Scots aged between 35 and 64 – indicating that those struggling to get on the housing ladder are increasingly of working age and likely to be seeking a stable home for their family.
As mortgages are usually paid over a 20 or 30-year period, it can become increasingly difficult to get an affordable mortgage as people get older.
While the proportion of under 35s owning their own home increased slightly, the census did not record whether they had any help from parents.
The data comes after figures obtained by Scottish Labour show that on average rents contested by tenants in Scotland jumped by an average of 20 percent following the end of the temporary rent freeze in April 2024, with one landlord attempting to raise rents by 186 percent.
Labour housing spokesperson Mark Griffin and Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Mark Griffin, Scottish Labour Housing spokesperson said: “Scottish Labour believes that everyone who wants to own their own home should have a pathway to do so but these figures show homeownership remains a far-off dream for too many Scots.
“The SNP has been in power for the entire time the census covers, but rather than coming up with a plan for Scots who want to move out of the private rented sector, it has slashed the affordable housing budget, let house building crumble on its watch and failed to come up with a sustainable solution for renters.
“Because there is nowhere else for them to go, working families and young people without a Bank of Mum and Dad are stuck in the private rental sector, often spending more and more on soaring rents.
“Rachel Reeves has pledged to build 1.5million homes in England – tackling the housing emergency in Scotland requires similar focus to increase to housing supply, ensuring people are able to get onto the housing ladder and into social and affordable homes.”
Tenure
|
Tenure
|
Number of households in 2011
|
Number of households in 2022
|
% change
|
|
Owns with a mortgage/ loan
|
800,175
|
713,209
|
-11%
|
|
Private landlord or letting agency
|
263,459
|
311,527
|
+18%
|
|
Social Rent
|
576,414
|
564,527
|
-2%
|
|
Owns outright
|
660,643
|
851,132
|
+29%
|
Around 63% of households in Scotland owned their own home in 2022.
- The increase in households owning outright is related to the ageing population in Scotland. The majority of the increase in households owning outright was due to increases in older age groups.
- 135,200 more householders aged 65 and over owning outright in 2022, compared to 2011. Around two thirds (67.5%) of householders aged 65 owned outright.
- The percentage of 35-49 year olds who own their own home has decreased from 2011-2022 by around 3%
- Around one in forty households in Scotland (2.4%) had at least one fewer bedroom than required but around one in twenty (4.7%) households in the Glasgow City council are were overcrowded. Dundee City had the next highest rate of overcrowding