Scottish House Condition Survey: 2021 Key Findings

5 Housing Conditions

The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) usually involves a visual inspection of the inside and outside of the property. However, due to Covid-19 restrictions the 2021 SHCS was carried out by an external-only inspection, supplemented with alternative sources of data, e.g. from the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), and the householder providing information to surveyors via telephone. No data was collected on internal aspects such as room repairs and aspects of housing standards.

For further details see the 2021 External+ SHCS questionnaire. Note that only questions enclosed in red boxes were included in the 2021 survey.

It is not, therefore, possible to report on the following:

• Internal disrepair and most disrepair to common elements
• Most rates of disrepair except urgent disrepair to critical elements
• The presence of damp, condensation or mould
• Compliance with the Tolerable Standard and the Scottish Housing Quality Standard

The topics that are included in this chapter are the following:

• Urgent disrepair to critical elements
• Type of disrepair to external critical elements
• Overcrowding and under-occupancy
• Overcrowding and under-occupancy perceptions

When interpreting and using the results presented in this chapter, readers should be mindful of the impact the external+ approach used for the 2021 SHCS has had on data quality. This is discussed in detail in Chapter 6 of this report.

Key Points

• 16% of dwellings had an urgent disrepair to critical elements.

• Although 47% of dwellings have some external disrepair to critical elements it tends to be at a relatively low level in each property, affecting on average (median) 2.5% of the relevant area.
• In 2021 around 68,000 (3%) households lived in overcrowded accommodation under the bedroom standard.
• Around 922,000 (36%) households had one bedroom in excess of the minimum requirement under the bedroom standard. A further 906,000 (36%) households had two or more bedrooms in excess.
• Social sector tenants are also slightly more likely (5%) to live in accommodation which is overcrowded according to the bedroom standard than those households living in the private sector (2%).
• Social sector tenants are more likely to live in accommodation which is at the level meeting (but not exceeding) the minimum requirements of the bedroom standard (46% compared to 19% in the private sector).    
• Private sector households are more likely (44%) to have two or more bedrooms in excess of the minimum requirements compared to households in the social sector (9%).
• 24% of households living in homes meeting (but not exceeding) the bedroom standard felt their home had too few rooms, while 46% of households living in overcrowded homes felt that their home had just about the right number of rooms.

5.1 Disrepair

The SHCS measures disrepair for a wide range of different building elements ranging from aspects of roofs and walls to chimney stacks, internal rooms and common parts of shared buildings like access balconies and entry doors.

This is reported in two categories:

• Critical elements. This refers to disrepair to building elements central to weather-tightness, structural stability and preventing deterioration of the property, such as roof coverings or the structure of external walls. These elements are listed in section 7.6.7.1.
• Non-critical elements. This relates to any damage to a non-critical element (such as skirtings and internal wall finishes, staircases, boundary fences or attached garages) which requires some repair beyond routine maintenance.

 Elements in both of the above categories can be assessed according to the severity of disrepair, as follows:

• Urgent disrepair. This relates only to external and common elements  (a mixture of critical and non-critical). Urgent disrepair to these elements is recorded where immediate repair is required to prevent further deterioration to the building fabric or health and safety risks to occupants. Not all disrepair to critical elements is necessarily considered urgent by the surveyor. Internal room floor structures and floor finishes as well as internal walls and the presence of dry / wet rot are the only critical elements for which urgency is not applicable.
• Extensive disrepair. Damage which covers at least a fifth (20%) or more of the building element area. This can apply to any element whether critical or otherwise.

Disrepair which is not to a critical element, is not urgent or extensive, is referred to as basic. This is the minimum category of disrepair in the survey. 

A more detailed description of the categories of disrepair is given in section 7.6.7.

It is fairly common for dwellings to display elements of disrepair in more than one category. The SHCS surveyor manual provides guidance for our surveyors on assessing the type and severity of disrepair for each element, for example:

• A leaking tap in the bathroom (disrepair to a non-critical element).
• A large section (covering over 20% of the area) of the render on an external wall has broken off but is not considered an urgent repair by the surveyor (extensive disrepair to a critical element).
• A small area of guttering is damaged, causing rain water to pour down an external wall surface. This is marked as urgent by the surveyor as it is likely to lead to further damage and compromise the weather-proofing of the building in the short term (urgent disrepair to a critical element).

The SHCS usually reports on various types of disrepair, e.g. any disrepair, disrepair to critical elements and urgent and/or extensive disrepair to critical elements. As most of these include internal elements, which were not assessed for the presence and extent of disrepair in the 2021 External+ SHCS, it is not possible to report on them. Urgent disrepair to critical elements is, however, an exception to this. As detailed in SHCS Methodology Notes, there are some internal elements that are critical, e.g. internal walls/partitions, floor structure and floor finish. However, urgency is only assessed for external and common[16] elements. Therefore, urgent disrepair to critical elements can be reported on.

5.1.1 Urgent Disrepair to Critical Elements

This section examines in more detail urgent disrepair to critical elements (which the survey found to affect 16% of dwellings) and its prevalence across tenure, dwelling age band and urban/rural location.

As shown in Table 5.1 the prevalence of urgent disrepair to critical elements is associated with age of construction, with dwellings built after 1964 less likely to have urgent disrepair to critical elements. Dwellings built in the period pre-1919 have a rate of urgent disrepair to critical elements of 25%. Rates of urgent disrepair to critical elements fall to 14% for dwellings built in the period 1965-1982 while those built after 1982 have a rate of 7%.

Rates of urgent disrepair to critical elements were higher in rural areas (19%) than urban areas (15%).

Table 5.1: Dwellings with urgent disrepair to critical elements by dwelling age and location, 2021 [note 2]

Dwelling Characteristics	Category	Percentage of dwellings (%)	Sample size (number)
Dwelling Age	pre-1919	25%	664
Dwelling Age	1919-1944	23%	349
Dwelling Age	1945-1964	18%	566
Dwelling Age	1965-1982	14%	653
Dwelling Age	post-1982	7%	942
Location	Urban	15%	2,411
Location	Rural	19%	763
All dwellings	All dwellings	16%	3,174

Levels of urgent disrepair to critical elements are similar for the private sector (16%) and the social sector (15%) considered as a whole (see Table 5.2).

As shown in Table 5.2, housing association dwellings tended to have amongst the lowest levels of urgent disrepair to critical elements (10%) in 2021. 15% of owner occupied dwellings had urgent disrepair to critical elements. Local authority (18%) and private rented sector (23%) properties have the highest levels of urgent disrepair to critical elements.

Table 5.2: Dwellings with urgent disrepair to one or more critical element by tenure group, 2021

Household Characteristics	Category	Percentage of dwellings (%)	Sample size (number)
Tenure	Owner occupied	15%	2,100
Tenure	LA	18%	375
Tenure	HA	10%	276
Tenure	Private rented	23%	423
Tenure (grouped)	Private Sector	16%	2,523
Tenure (grouped)	Social Sector	15%	651
All dwellings	All dwellings	16%	3,174

5.1.2 Type of Disrepair to External Critical Elements

This section considers the presence of any disrepair to external critical elements, regardless of whether or not this is urgent.

As shown in Figure 5.1 although some disrepair to external critical elements is fairly common (47% of dwellings have some disrepair to an external critical element)  it tends to be at a relatively low level in each property, affecting on average (median) 2.5% of the relevant area. A full list of elements in this category is provided in section 7.6.7.1 along with details of how the extent of disrepair is recorded in the survey for each and how an average extent is calculated.

Wall finish, gutters / downpipes and roof coverings are often affected. Around 26% of dwellings had some disrepair to wall finish, 17% had some disrepair to gutters / downpipes and 16% had some disrepair to roof coverings; however, in all three cases the average (median) disrepair covered around 2.5% of the area. Where stone pointing, render or harling on walls is damaged, moisture can seep into the structure of the walls and cause further damage. Similarly slipped roof tiles or slates can allow water to access the roof structure or the tops of internal walls.

Around a quarter (24%) of dwellings with chimneys showed some signs of disrepair. Unchecked this can lead to water ingress and eventually falling masonry.

Figure 5.1: The Number of Households (HHs) Affected and Average (Median) Extent of Disrepair to External Critical Elements [note 4]

Data Source: Table HC3 in 'Housing Conditions' tables.

5.2 Overcrowding and Under-Occupancy

This section examines some key measures of whether households are living in overcrowded or under-occupied conditions. This is determined on the basis of the bedroom standard as defined in the Housing (Overcrowding) Bill 2003 taking into account the number of bedrooms available in the dwelling and the type of household that occupies it.

Minimum requirements for bedrooms under the bedroom standard should not be confused with criteria for the removal of the spare room subsidy. More information on the bedroom standard and the differences between the two is included in section 7.6.9.

Figure 5.2 and Table 5.3 show the headline occupancy measures. The proportion of households with at least one bedroom above the minimum standard was 72%, while the rate of overcrowded accommodation falling below the bedroom standard was 3%. The remaining 25% of households meet (but do not exceed) the minimum bedroom requirements.

Subsequent sections examine in more detail differences across household and dwelling characteristics.

Figure 5.2: Proportion of Dwellings which are Overcrowded, Meet the Minimum Standard, Exceed it by 1 Bedroom or Exceed by 2 or More Bedrooms, 2021

Data Source: Table HC4 in 'Housing Conditions' tables.

5.2.1 Overcrowding

A dwelling is considered overcrowded if there are insufficient bedrooms to meet the occupants’ requirements under the bedroom standard definition (see section 7.6.9).

Table 5.3: Overcrowding by Tenure, Dwelling Age, Type and Location, and Annual Household Income, 2021 [note 1] [note 2]

Household Characteristics	Category	Percentage of dwellings (%)	Number of dwellings (thousands)
Dwelling Type	Detached	[low]	2
Dwelling Type	Semi-detached	2%	10
Dwelling Type	Terraced	3%	17
Dwelling Type	Tenement	3%	19
Dwelling Type	Other flats	6%	19
Dwelling Age	pre-1919	1%	7
Dwelling Age	1919-1944	4%	12
Dwelling Age	1945-1964	4%	22
Dwelling Age	1965-1982	2%	13
Dwelling Age	post-1982	2%	14
Location	Urban	3%	64
Location	Rural	1%	4
Tenure	Owned outright	1%	10
Tenure	Mortgaged	3%	18
Tenure	LA	6%	21
Tenure	HA	4%	8
Tenure	Private rented	3%	11
Tenure (grouped)	Private Sector	2%	39
Tenure (grouped)	Social Sector	5%	29
Annual Income	< £15,000	3%	12
Annual Income	£15,000 -24,999	2%	12
Annual Income	£25,000 - £34,999	3%	15
Annual Income	£35,000 - £44,999	4%	14
Annual Income	£45,000+	2%	13
All households	All households	3%	68

Sample sizes are available on Table HC5 in 'Housing Conditions' tables.

Around 3% of households (68,000 households) were found to live in overcrowded accommodation (see Table 5.3). Social sector dwellings (5%) were more likely to be overcrowded than private sector dwellings (2%). Households who own their properties outright or live in rural areas had overcrowding rates below the national average.

5.2.2 Under-Occupancy

Around 922,000 households (36%) had one additional bedroom above the minimum under the bedroom standard  and around 906,000 households (36%) had two or more bedrooms in excess of the minimum standard (see Table HC6 in 'Housing Conditions' tables).

Social and private rented sector tenants are more likely to live in accommodation which is at the level meeting (but not exceeding) the minimum requirements of the bedroom standard (Table 5.5); 46% of the social sector and 48% in the PRS, compared to 8% for those who own outright and 20% for those with a mortgage). In contrast, households in the social and private rented sectors are less likely to have two or more bedrooms in excess of the minimum requirements: 9% (social) and 14% (PRS) have two or more additional rooms, compared to 59% of those who own outright and 37% of those with a mortgage. The proportion of households with one bedroom in excess of minimum requirements is 35% for private sector and 41% for social sector.

Higher income households (£45,000 or more per year) are more likely to live in dwellings with two or more additional bedrooms (47%) than the national average (36%).

Under-occupied dwellings are least common amongst those built pre-1919, where only 65% have one or more bedrooms in excess of the standard, compared to dwellings built post-1982 where the rate is 75%. Similarly, detached houses have the highest rates of under-occupancy compared to other building types: 76% with two or more additional bedrooms. Tenements (7%) and other flats (11%) have the lowest rates with two or more additional bedrooms but are more likely to meet the minimum standard (49% and 36% respectively).

Under-occupation is more common in rural areas. 55% of rural dwellings have two or more bedrooms in excess of the minimum requirements under the bedroom standard, compared to 32% for urban properties. Conversely urban dwellings are more likely to meet the minimum standard (27%) than rural dwellings (14%).

Table 5.4: Above Minimum Standard, by Tenure, Dwelling Age, Type and Location, and Annual Household Income 2021 [note 1] [note 2]

Household Characteristics	Category	1 bedroom above minimum (%)	2+ bedroom above minimum (%)	Above minimum standard (%)
Dwelling Type	Detached	18%	76%	94%
Dwelling Type	Semi-detached	39%	42%	81%
Dwelling Type	Terraced	44%	32%	76%
Dwelling Type	Tenement	40%	7%	47%
Dwelling Type	Other flats	46%	11%	57%
Dwelling Age	pre-1919	29%	36%	65%
Dwelling Age	1919-1944	42%	34%	76%
Dwelling Age	1945-1964	42%	29%	71%
Dwelling Age	1965-1982	38%	36%	74%
Dwelling Age	post-1982	34%	41%	75%
Location	Urban	38%	32%	70%
Location	Rural	31%	55%	86%
Tenure	Owned outright	32%	59%	91%
Tenure	Mortgaged	40%	37%	77%
Tenure	LA	40%	10%	50%
Tenure	HA	41%	7%	48%
Tenure	Private rented	35%	14%	49%
Tenure (grouped)	Private Sector	35%	44%	79%
Tenure (grouped)	Social Sector	41%	9%	50%
Annual Income	< £15,000	43%	23%	66%
Annual Income	£15,000 -24,999	39%	30%	69%
Annual Income	£25,000 - £34,999	33%	34%	67%
Annual Income	£35,000 - £44,999	34%	45%	79%
Annual Income	£45,000+	35%	47%	82%
All households	All households	36%	36%	72%

Sample sizes and absolute numbers are available on Table HC6 in 'Housing Conditions' tables.

Table 5.5: Households Meeting the Minimum Bedroom Standard, by Tenure, Dwelling Age, Type and Location, and Annual Household Income 2021 [note 1]

Household Characteristics	Category	Percentage of dwellings (%)	Number of dwellings (thousands)	Sample size (number)
Dwelling Type	Detached	6%	33	966
Dwelling Type	Semi-detached	17%	84	628
Dwelling Type	Terraced	20%	107	594
Dwelling Type	Tenement	49%	293	614
Dwelling Type	Other flats	36%	116	372
Dwelling Age	pre-1919	34%	165	664
Dwelling Age	1919-1944	20%	54	349
Dwelling Age	1945-1964	24%	128	566
Dwelling Age	1965-1982	24%	134	653
Dwelling Age	post-1982	22%	153	942
Location	Urban	27%	576	2,411
Location	Rural	14%	58	763
Tenure	Owned outright	8%	74	1,338
Tenure	Mortgaged	20%	122	762
Tenure	LA	44%	151	375
Tenure	HA	48%	112	276
Tenure	Private rented	48%	174	423
Tenure (grouped)	Private Sector	19%	371	2,523
Tenure (grouped)	Social Sector	46%	263	651
Annual Income	< £15,000	31%	133	509
Annual Income	£15,000 -24,999	29%	184	787
Annual Income	£25,000 - £34,999	30%	156	633
Annual Income	£35,000 - £44,999	17%	57	456
Annual Income	£45,000+	16%	91	759
All households	All households	25%	634	3,174

5.2.3 Overcrowding and Under-Occupancy Perceptions

The Scottish Household Survey asks householders about their views on the number of rooms in their house/flat. For the first time we are providing an analysis of the responses to this question and relating them to the household’s compliance with the bedroom standard. It should be noted that the question does not ask specifically about the number of bedrooms in the house/flat.

80% of householders reported that their accommodation had about the right number of rooms, while 11% believed that they have too few rooms and 9% that they have too many rooms (see Figure 5.3).

Figure 5.3: Householders’ perceptions about the number of rooms in their accommodation, 2021

Data Source: Table HC8 in 'Housing Conditions' tables.

Table 5.6 shows that householders who owned their accommodation outright are less likely to believe that their house or flat has too few rooms (5%), than those who rent (ranging from 14% to 16%) or have a mortgage (15%). In private sector 10% of the householders feel that their accommodation has too many rooms and 10% that their accommodation has too few rooms. In the social sector 15% of the respondents feel that their accommodation has too few rooms while only 5% feel that they have too many rooms. 19% of householders who live in detached houses believe that their house has too many rooms, in comparison to 8% for both semi-detached and terraced houses, 2% for tenements and 3% for other flats. In rural locations 8% of the respondents feel that their accommodation has too few rooms and 13% feel that they have too many rooms, while for urban locations the proportions are 12% and 8% respectively. 14% of households with an annual income of £45,000 or more believe that their accommodation has too few rooms, while only 7% of households with an income less than £15,000 feel the same way.

Table 5.6: Householders’ perceptions about the number of rooms in their accommodation, by dwelling and household characteristics, 2021  [note 1] [note 2]

Household Characteristics	Category	Too few bedrooms  (%)	Too many bedrooms  (%)	About right number of bedrooms (%)
Dwelling Type	Detached	5%	19%	76%
Dwelling Type	Semi-detached	10%	8%	82%
Dwelling Type	Terraced	12%	8%	80%
Dwelling Type	Tenement	15%	2%	82%
Dwelling Type	Other flats	16%	3%	80%
Dwelling Age	pre-1919	11%	9%	80%
Dwelling Age	1919-1944	11%	10%	79%
Dwelling Age	1945-1964	11%	10%	79%
Dwelling Age	1965-1982	11%	9%	80%
Dwelling Age	post-1982	12%	7%	82%
Location	Urban	12%	8%	80%
Location	Rural	8%	13%	79%
Tenure	Owned outright	5%	15%	81%
Tenure	Mortgaged	15%	7%	79%
Tenure	LA	16%	6%	77%
Tenure	HA	14%	3%	83%
Tenure	Private rented	16%	2%	81%
Tenure (grouped)	Private Sector	10%	10%	80%
Tenure (grouped)	Social Sector	15%	5%	80%
Annual Income	< £15,000	7%	9%	85%
Annual Income	£15,000 -24,999	10%	9%	81%
Annual Income	£25,000 - £34,999	14%	7%	79%
Annual Income	£35,000 - £44,999	10%	9%	81%
Annual Income	£45,000+	14%	9%	77%
All households	All households	11%	9%	80%

In 2021, 83% of respondents who live in a dwelling with 1 or more rooms above the bedroom standard feel that they have just the right number of rooms, 12% feel that they have too many and 5% feel that they have too few rooms (see Table 5.7).

Around three quarters (76%) of householders who live in accommodation meeting (but not exceeding) the bedroom standard feel that they have the right number of rooms and 24% feel that they have too few rooms (see Table 5.7).

Among householders who live in overcrowded accommodation under the bedroom standard, 46% feel that that they have just the right number of rooms and 54% feel that they have too few rooms.

Table 5.7: Householders' perceptions about the number of rooms in their accommodation, by bedroom standard, 2021 [note 4]

Householders' Perceptions	Overcrowded	At minimum standard	Undercrowded
too few rooms	54%	24%	5%
about the right number of room	46%	76%	83%
too many rooms	[w]	1%	12%
Total	100%	100%	100%
Sample size (number)	72	698	2,404

 

Footnotes