Estimates of Households and Dwellings in Scotland, 2008

Overall household change

In mid-2008, there were 2.3 million households in Scotland – around 290,000 more than in 1991.
The number of households in Scotland has been increasing by between 11,000 and 23,000 each year since 1991. Over the last year, there has been an increase of 17,500 households (0.8 per cent).
The rate of growth has slowed in the past year: between 2007 and 2008, the increase in the number of households was lower than in any other year for the last five years.
The number of households has been increasing in every council area, except Inverclyde (where it remained the same between 2003 and 2008 and fell slightly in 2007-08). The areas with the greatest increases over the last five years have been in Highland (8.5 per cent) and Aberdeenshire (8.3 per cent).
Since 1991, Scotland’s population has increased by around one per cent. However, the number of households has increased at a far greater rate (by over 14 per cent), because the average household size is getting smaller, with more people living alone and in smaller households.

Council Tax bands

The Council Tax band of a dwelling reflects the Assessor’s opinion of the open market value, based on the actual selling prices of similar properties which sold around the valuation date of 1 April 1991.
Accessible rural areas tend to have the smallest proportion of dwellings in the lower Council Tax bands (bands A-C).
Almost all (94 per cent) dwellings in the most deprived areas are in the lower Council Tax bands, compared to just 13 per cent in the least deprived areas.

Dwelling type

There are higher proportions of flats in urban areas, and in more deprived areas. In contrast, there are higher proportions of detached houses in rural areas, and in less deprived areas.
The three island authorities have the highest percentages of detached dwellings (over 58 per cent of all dwellings in these areas, compared to 21 per cent for Scotland as a whole).

Vacant dwellings and second homes

Across Scotland as a whole, 2.8 per cent of dwellings are vacant and 1.4 per cent are second homes, though there is wide variation across the country.
Remote rural areas have the lowest percentage of dwellings which are occupied (88 per cent), with higher percentages of vacant dwellings (four per cent of all dwellings in these areas) and second homes (seven per cent).
The most deprived areas have the highest percentage of dwellings which are vacant (six per cent).

Single adult households

38 per cent of dwellings in Scotland are entitled to a 'single adult' Council Tax discount. This category includes one adult living alone or with children, or with other people who are ‘disregarded’ for Council Tax purposes.
The proportion of dwellings entitled to a 'single adult' discount is higher in urban areas (42 per cent in large urban areas compared to 29 per cent in remote rural areas) and in deprived areas (28 per cent in the least deprived areas compared to 52 per cent in the most deprived areas).