Scotland’s housing landscape remains a mixed picture, with new figures from the 2023 Scottish House Condition Survey highlighting progress in some areas but ongoing challenges in others.
The report shows that fuel poverty increased in 2023, with 34% of households—around 861,000 homes—struggling to afford adequate heating, up from 31% in 2022.
Of these, 19.4% (491,000 households) were living in extreme fuel poverty, a slight rise from the previous year’s figure of 18.5%.
Energy efficiency in Scottish homes continues to improve, with 56% of properties rated EPC band C or better under the SAP 2012 measure, a 3% increase from 2022.
Looking further back, under SAP 2009 standards, 61% of homes now achieve band C or better, a remarkable jump of 37 percentage points since 2010.
The percentage of properties in the lowest EPC bands (E, F, or G) has also plummeted from 27% in 2010 to just 8% in 2023.
Despite these gains, issues with housing disrepair persist, with 27% of all dwellings failing the tolerable standard in 2023, slightly lower than 29% in 2022.
Fire safety equipment remains the most common reason for homes failing this standard, with 562,000 properties falling short.
Disrepair to critical elements such as weather-tightness, structural stability, and deterioration prevention affected 45% of homes in 2023, though this marks an improvement from 49% the previous year.
Urgent disrepair was identified in 16% of homes, and only 2% had extensive damage affecting at least a fifth of critical elements.
Social housing has seen significant improvements, with failure rates for the Scottish Housing Quality Standard dropping from 60% in 2010 to 38% in 2023.
However, energy efficiency remains a key driver of failure, with 26% of social housing still not meeting the necessary standard.
Housing Minister Paul McLennan highlighted the Scottish Government’s efforts to address these challenges, including additional funding to tackle fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency.
He said:
“We’ve announced £41 million in extra funding, including £20 million for the Scottish Welfare Fund and £20 million for the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme, which will help 1,500 more households save an average of £400 annually on their energy bills.”
Mr McLennan called for the UK Government to introduce a social tariff to protect consumers from high energy costs and ensure affordability for all.
He also reaffirmed the commitment to tackling disrepair and prioritising tenant safety, noting the progress made in reducing housing failures since 2010.
While the report shows areas of improvement, the findings underline the need for continued investment and collaboration to ensure all Scots live in warm, safe, and energy-efficient homes.