Elections to the Scottish Parliament take place on Thursday 7 May. In this series we look at what decisions are made in our parliament which affect daily lives in Scotland. So far we’ve looked at Education, NHS Scotland, Transport, Migration, and Energy.
Housing.
The Scottish Parliament has powers over Housing Policy and Building Control.
In 2025 there were 17,336 new homes built and 14,999 new builds started across the social and private sector in Scotland.
In 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic seriously impacted all house building. Leaving that year to one side : the private sector completed fewer homes in 2025 than in any year since 2017 and started fewer homes than in any year since 2013. For social housing, completions were the lowest since 2014 and starts were the lowest recorded since this data series began in 1997.
Many areas of Scotland have a housing crisis. The 2025 figures for house building are concerning.
In 2025 the Affordable Housing Supply Programme delivered 6,289 affordable completed homes, approved 5,833 homes, and started 5,856 homes. The Scottish Government has set a target of 110,000 affordable houses by 2032. These would be divided into 77% social rent (25,016), 15% affordable rent (4,750), and 8% affordable home ownership (2,713). By December 2025, 32,479 of these homes had been completed.
Click on this link for further information : Housing Statistics
Some money from the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (26/27 Budget) has gone towards affordable housing including: £300,000 for Aberfeldy Affordable Housing (Perth and Kinross Council); £575,920 for Achagarry: homes for Coigach (Highland Council); and £552,000 for Sustainable living in Applecross (Highland Council).
£43 million has been put towards a loan-based housing programme. The Charitable Bonds scheme provides loans to Registered Social Landlords, with the interest on repayments being re-invested in affordable housing. Since 2014, the programme has supported the delivery of around 4,500 properties and generated a further £175.6 million toward the completion of more affordable homes.
The additional funding takes the total investment for 2025-26 to £78 million. Bonds have issued to Kingdom, Eildon, Cairn, Govanhill, Lochalsh & Skye, Lochaber and Wheatley housing associations.
- 30 homes in Skye and Raasay
- 35 homes in Galashiels
- 40 homes in Fort William and Mallaig
- 28 homes in Irvine and East Whitburn
- other ongoing development programmes across Fife, Edinburgh, Lothians, Glasgow and Dumfries & Galloway.
Homelessness.
If a household is unintentionally homeless (or threatened with homelessness), the local authority must offer settled accommodation. Until this is available, the local authority must offer temporary accommodation.
If a household is intentionally homeless (or threatened with homelessness), the local authority has no statutory duty to provide settled accommodation (although they may choose to do so). There is a duty to provide temporary accommodation and advice and assistance to help the household secure alternative accommodation.
Click on this link for more information: Homelessness.
The latest figures on Homelessness in Scotland are to September 2025.
| Measure | 2024Apr-Sep | 2025Apr-Sep | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percent | |||
| Applications | 21,111 | 20,643 | -468 | -2% |
| Assessed as homeless | 17,670 | 17,291 | -379 | -2% |
| Open applications as at 30 September | 31,882 | 33,006 | 1,124 | 4% |
| Households in temporary accommodation as at 30 September | 16,634 | 18,092 | 1,458 | 9% |
There is a wide range of reasons why people may become homeless including family/relationship breakdown.
Mairi McAllan, as the Cabinet Secretary for Housing in the Scottish Government stated in the Scottish Parliament on 25 March 2026 :
“Increasing the supply of affordable homes is key to addressing housing need and critical to tackling homelessness. I am pleased to confirm that More Homes Scotland will have a key focus on bringing speed, simplicity and scale to the delivery of more homes, including affordable homes, as quickly as possible.
“The agency (More Homes Scotland) will help to advance key Government priorities, including our child poverty ambitions, by ensuring that more children, families and individuals have the foundational opportunity in life of a safe, warm and affordable home.”
And she continued:
“Since 2007, the Government has delivered 141,000 affordable homes, 101,000 of which have the most affordable social rent. That leaves us with 69 per cent more affordable homes, per head of population, than there are in Wales and 45 per cent more affordable homes, per head of population, than there are in England.”
MSPs will have critical decisions to make if more affordable homes are to be built in Scotland, and if the target of 110,000 affordable houses by 2032 is met.
Fiona Grahame
