Spreadsheet view
Dimensions
| Dimension | Value |
|---|---|
| Indicator (Dwellings) | |
| Measure Type | |
| Reference Period | |
|
Reference Area
(Types of area available in these data) |
|
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About the Dataset
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Description
This dataset contains information on the number (‘count’) of dwellings in each Data Zone and the numbers and percentages (‘ratio’) that are occupied, vacant, second homes, are occupied and exempt from paying Council Tax and that are receiving a 'single adult' Council Tax discount. The estimates are based on Council Tax data collected in September each year. The estimated total number of dwellings in this dataset differ from those in the ‘Dwellings by Council Tax Band’, ‘Dwellings by Number of Rooms’ and ‘Dwellings by Type’ datasets as these are extracted from a different source (the Assessors’ Portal) at a different time of year (December, or January the following year).
Occupied dwellings are our proxy for a household. The dataset also includes estimates of total dwellings, vacant dwellings, second homes, occupied dwellings which are exempt from Council Tax, and dwellings subject to a Council Tax discount of 25 per cent.
Council Tax data contains information on the various discounts/exemptions awarded to each dwelling in Scotland, from these we can determine which dwellings are occupied and which are vacant or second homes. We remove the vacant dwellings and second homes from the total number of dwellings in each area, giving us the number of occupied dwellings. For full details of the methods used see the ‘Estimates of Households and Dwellings in Scotland’ publications on the National Records of Scotland (NRS) website.
Estimates are missing for Data Zones in some local authorities in some years. This should be taken into account if Data Zone level estimates are aggregated to produce estimates for higher geographies. Summary statistics for Council areas, National Parks, Strategic Development Plan areas, urban-rural classifications and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation deciles are published annually in 'Estimates of Households and Dwellings in Scotland' which is available from the NRS website.
Total Dwellings A ‘dwelling’ refers to the accommodation itself, for example a house or a flat, and includes second homes that are not let out commercially. Caravans count as dwellings if they are someone’s main house.
Which Are Occupied Any dwelling apart from those which are vacant or second homes. The number of occupied dwellings is a good estimate of the number of households.
Which Are Vacant This includes dwellings that are exempt from Council Tax and are unoccupied; and dwellings which are recorded on Council Tax systems as being long-term empty properties.
Which Are Second Homes These dwellings are subject to a Council Tax discount of between 10 per cent and 50 per cent due to being second homes. This includes self-catering holiday accommodation available to let for a total of less than 140 days per year. Second homes which are let out for 140 days or more are not included in these figures as they are classed as business so pay non-domestic rates rather than Council Tax. Each Council sets the level of discount for second homes.
With ‘Occupied Exemptions’ Dwellings exempt from Council Tax, which are occupied. This includes: dwellings only occupied by students, armed forces accommodation owned by the Secretary of State for Defence, dwellings which are the sole residence only of people aged under 18 or people who are classed as severely mentally impaired, trial flats used by registered housing associations, and prisons.
With Single Adult Discount Dwellings subject to a Council Tax discount of 25 per cent. This may include, for example, dwellings with a single adult, dwellings with one adult living with one or more children, or with one or more adults who are 'disregarded' for Council Tax purposes.
Details
Confidentiality Policy
Quality Management
Total dwellings per Data Zone are compared with earlier years’ data, and with dwellings data extracted from the Assessor’s Portal, to identify any potential issues. Explanations for large changes in total dwellings are sought from local authorities. The total number of dwellings of each occupation status in each local authority is also compared to the Councils’ data collection from Council Tax billing systems (Council Tax Base collection).
Accuracy and Reliability
Figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Totals may not equal the sum of their parts as a result of this rounding.
For most Councils, the data is aggregated from postcode level information. For a small number of postcodes, it has not be possible to allocate a Data Zone. This, combined with some other issues experienced by Councils, means that the Council level figures collected as part of the Scottish Government's Council Tax Base return are generally considered more accurate. As a result we constrain the Data Zone level information for each Council so that it sums to the Council Tax Base totals, unless a Council has advised otherwise.
The number of occupied dwellings is used as a proxy for the number of households. However, one occupied dwelling may not always equal one household. One reason for the differences is that some occupied dwellings may be shared by more than one household; each household would be counted by the census but only the dwelling itself would be counted in Council Tax data. Another reason is that certain communal establishments (e.g. student halls of residence, barracks or prisons) may be included in the count of occupied dwellings from Council Tax systems but would not be classified as households in the census.
There are inconsistencies between the ways in which some Councils record Council Tax discounts and exemptions. Changes over time in categories of Council Tax discounts and exemptions can occur because a Council area has carried out a review and identified cases where a dwelling has been incorrectly categorised rather than as a result of real change 'on the ground'.
In 2013, many Councils re-classified long-term empty properties and second homes, which resulted in an apparent rise in the annual increase in the number of occupied dwellings. The re-classifications were due to Council Tax changes, both in the charging of long-term empty properties and the definition of such properties and second homes. Those Council areas with the biggest changes had all carried out re-classification exercises. This makes it difficult to determine how much of the change in these areas was due to homes being brought back into use.
It is possible that not all information held on Council Tax billing systems is up-to-date. For example: Councils may not be notified immediately of a change in the circumstances of a household which affects eligibility for a Council Tax discount or exemption. Furthermore it may take time for changes as a result of new building or demolition to be recorded.
When using Data Zone level information on dwellings and households, changes over time can occur not only as a result of new building activity and demolition but also because of changes related to the postcodes of dwellings. Postcode changes can occur due to improvements made to administrative systems or NRS data cleaning, re-locating postcodes which were previously allocated to an incorrect Data Zones. Differences can also occur due to postcodes being allocated to a different Data Zone because the distribution of their population has changed. These differences are likely to be minimal and have only a small effect on change over time except when looking at small numbers of Data Zones.
2008: Clackmannanshire, Fife and East Renfrewshire Councils were unable to provide Data Zone level information. Renfrewshire Council was unable to separately identify vacant dwellings that are classed as 'long-term empty' and second homes, therefore all such dwellings were included as 'vacant dwellings'.
2009: East Renfrewshire Council was unable to provide Data Zone level information. Clackmannanshire and Renfrewshire Councils were unable to separately identify vacant dwellings that are classed as 'long-term empty' and second homes, therefore all such dwellings were included as 'vacant dwellings'.
2010-2012: Clackmannanshire, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire Councils were unable to separately identify vacant dwellings that are classed as 'long-term empty' and second homes, therefore all such dwellings were included as 'vacant dwellings'.
2013: Clackmannanshire Council was unable to separately identify vacant dwellings that are classed as 'long-term empty' and second homes, therefore all such dwellings were included as 'vacant dwellings'.
2014: Clackmannanshire Council was unable to provide Data Zone level information on second homes although they were able to provide this information at Council level. To ensure Data Zone level totals add edto give the Council level figures from the Scottish Government's Council Tax Base return, the second homes figure from Council Tax Base was distributed evenly across all of Clackmannanshire's Data Zones. Issues with extracting data from Aberdeen City Council's Council Tax billing system meant that the Council were unable to provide a breakdown on long-term empty properties and second homes at small area level. A combination of the Council Tax Base totals for these categories and an earlier year's small areas data were used to estimate the number of long-term empty properties and the number of second homes in each Data Zone in Aberdeen City.
Coherence and Comparability
The statistics are also provided in Excel, PDF and CSV formats on the NRS website. They are designed to be consistent, and incorporate comparable historical data where appropriate.
Accessibility and Clarity
It is the policy of the NRS to make its website and products accessible according to published guidelines. More information is available in the Accessibility section of the NRS website.
Relevance
The statistics are mainly used for informing Councils’ decisions about housing need and service provision. They are also used as the denominator for other statistics (e.g. the percentage of households receiving benefits).
Timeliness and Punctuality
Data is received from Council Tax billing systems on the first Monday of September each year and published the following summer.
Revisions
In 2015, revisions were made to the household estimates previously published for Shetland Islands (2007-2014), City of Edinburgh (2014) and West Lothian (2013-2014). For full details see the ‘Estimates of households and dwellings in Scotland, 2015’ publications on the NRS website.
Revisions and corrections to previously published estimates are dealt with in accordance with the Scottish Government Statistician Group corporate policy statement on revisions and corrections - a copy of which is available on the Scottish Government website.
URI
This is a linked data resource: it has a permanent unique uri at which both humans and machines can find it on the Internet, and which can be used an identifier in queries on our SPARQL endpoint.
Dimensions Linked Data
A linked data-orientated view of dimensions and values
| Dimension | Locked Value |
|---|---|
|
Indicator (Dwellings)
http://statistics.gov.scot/def/dimension/indicator(dwellings)
|
(not locked to a value) |
|
Reference Area
http://purl.org/linked-data/sdmx/2009/dimension#refArea
|
(not locked to a value) |
|
Reference Period
http://purl.org/linked-data/sdmx/2009/dimension#refPeriod
|
(not locked to a value) |
|
Measure Type
http://purl.org/linked-data/cube#measureType
|
(not locked to a value) |
Graphs
Linked Data is stored in graphs. We keep dataset contents (the data) separately from the metadata, to make it easier for you to find exactly what you need.
The data in this dataset are stored in the graph: http://statistics.gov.scot/graph/household-estimates
The data structure definition for this data cube dataset is stored in the same graph as the data: http://statistics.gov.scot/graph/household-estimates
All other metadata about this dataset are stored in the graph: http://statistics.gov.scot/graph/household-estimates/metadata
Linked Data Resources
A breakdown by type of the 711,801 resources in this dataset's data graph.
| Resource type | Number of resources |
|---|---|
| Collection | 2 |
| Component specification | 8 |
| Data structure definition | 1 |
| Observation | 711,790 |
All metadata
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http://statistics.gov.scot/data/structure/household-estimates http://statistics.gov.scot/data/structure/household-estimates
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Accessibility and Clarity http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accessibility-and-clarity
-
It is the policy of the NRS to make its website and products accessible according to published guidelines. More information is available in the Accessibility section of the NRS website. xsd:string
-
Accuracy and Reliability http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accuracy-and-reliability
-
Figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Totals may not equal the sum of their parts as a result of this rounding. For most Councils, the data is aggregated from postcode level information. For a small number of postcodes, it has not be possible to allocate a Data Zone. This, combined with some other issues experienced by Councils, means that the Council level figures collected as part of the Scottish Government's Council Tax Base return are generally considered more accurate. As a result we constrain the Data Zone level information for each Council so that it sums to the Council Tax Base totals, unless a Council has advised otherwise. The number of occupied dwellings is used as a proxy for the number of households. However, one occupied dwelling may not always equal one household. One reason for the differences is that some occupied dwellings may be shared by more than one household; each household would be counted by the census but only the dwelling itself would be counted in Council Tax data. Another reason is that certain communal establishments (e.g. student halls of residence, barracks or prisons) may be included in the count of occupied dwellings from Council Tax systems but would not be classified as households in the census. There are inconsistencies between the ways in which some Councils record Council Tax discounts and exemptions. Changes over time in categories of Council Tax discounts and exemptions can occur because a Council area has carried out a review and identified cases where a dwelling has been incorrectly categorised rather than as a result of real change 'on the ground'. In 2013, many Councils re-classified long-term empty properties and second homes, which resulted in an apparent rise in the annual increase in the number of occupied dwellings. The re-classifications were due to Council Tax changes, both in the charging of long-term empty properties and the definition of such properties and second homes. Those Council areas with the biggest changes had all carried out re-classification exercises. This makes it difficult to determine how much of the change in these areas was due to homes being brought back into use. It is possible that not all information held on Council Tax billing systems is up-to-date. For example: Councils may not be notified immediately of a change in the circumstances of a household which affects eligibility for a Council Tax discount or exemption. Furthermore it may take time for changes as a result of new building or demolition to be recorded. When using Data Zone level information on dwellings and households, changes over time can occur not only as a result of new building activity and demolition but also because of changes related to the postcodes of dwellings. Postcode changes can occur due to improvements made to administrative systems or NRS data cleaning, re-locating postcodes which were previously allocated to an incorrect Data Zones. Differences can also occur due to postcodes being allocated to a different Data Zone because the distribution of their population has changed. These differences are likely to be minimal and have only a small effect on change over time except when looking at small numbers of Data Zones. 2008: Clackmannanshire, Fife and East Renfrewshire Councils were unable to provide Data Zone level information. Renfrewshire Council was unable to separately identify vacant dwellings that are classed as 'long-term empty' and second homes, therefore all such dwellings were included as 'vacant dwellings'. 2009: East Renfrewshire Council was unable to provide Data Zone level information. Clackmannanshire and Renfrewshire Councils were unable to separately identify vacant dwellings that are classed as 'long-term empty' and second homes, therefore all such dwellings were included as 'vacant dwellings'. 2010-2012: Clackmannanshire, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire Councils were unable to separately identify vacant dwellings that are classed as 'long-term empty' and second homes, therefore all such dwellings were included as 'vacant dwellings'. 2013: Clackmannanshire Council was unable to separately identify vacant dwellings that are classed as 'long-term empty' and second homes, therefore all such dwellings were included as 'vacant dwellings'. 2014: Clackmannanshire Council was unable to provide Data Zone level information on second homes although they were able to provide this information at Council level. To ensure Data Zone level totals add edto give the Council level figures from the Scottish Government's Council Tax Base return, the second homes figure from Council Tax Base was distributed evenly across all of Clackmannanshire's Data Zones. Issues with extracting data from Aberdeen City Council's Council Tax billing system meant that the Council were unable to provide a breakdown on long-term empty properties and second homes at small area level. A combination of the Council Tax Base totals for these categories and an earlier year's small areas data were used to estimate the number of long-term empty properties and the number of second homes in each Data Zone in Aberdeen City. xsd:string
-
Number and percentage of total dwellings that are occupied, vacant, second homes, are occupied and exempt from paying Council Tax and that are receiving a Single Adult Council Tax discount. An 'occupied dwelling' is roughly equivalent to a household. xsd:string
-
Comparability and Coherence http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/comparability-and-coherence
-
The statistics are also provided in Excel, PDF and CSV formats on the NRS website. They are designed to be consistent, and incorporate comparable historical data where appropriate. xsd:string
-
Contact email http://publishmydata.com/def/dataset#contactEmail
-
National Records of Scotland http://statistics.gov.scot/id/organisation/national-records-of-scotland
-
July 29, 2014 02:00 xsd:dateTime
-
September 05, 2016 07:21 xsd:dateTime
-
This dataset contains information on the number (‘count’) of dwellings in each Data Zone and the numbers and percentages (‘ratio’) that are occupied, vacant, second homes, are occupied and exempt from paying Council Tax and that are receiving a 'single adult' Council Tax discount. The estimates are based on Council Tax data collected in September each year. The estimated total number of dwellings in this dataset differ from those in the ‘Dwellings by Council Tax Band’, ‘Dwellings by Number of Rooms’ and ‘Dwellings by Type’ datasets as these are extracted from a different source (the Assessors’ Portal) at a different time of year (December, or January the following year). Occupied dwellings are our proxy for a household. The dataset also includes estimates of total dwellings, vacant dwellings, second homes, occupied dwellings which are exempt from Council Tax, and dwellings subject to a Council Tax discount of 25 per cent. Council Tax data contains information on the various discounts/exemptions awarded to each dwelling in Scotland, from these we can determine which dwellings are occupied and which are vacant or second homes. We remove the vacant dwellings and second homes from the total number of dwellings in each area, giving us the number of occupied dwellings. For full details of the methods used see the ‘Estimates of Households and Dwellings in Scotland’ publications on the National Records of Scotland (NRS) website. Estimates are missing for Data Zones in some local authorities in some years. This should be taken into account if Data Zone level estimates are aggregated to produce estimates for higher geographies. Summary statistics for Council areas, National Parks, Strategic Development Plan areas, urban-rural classifications and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation deciles are published annually in 'Estimates of Households and Dwellings in Scotland' which is available from the NRS website. *Total Dwellings* A ‘dwelling’ refers to the accommodation itself, for example a house or a flat, and includes second homes that are not let out commercially. Caravans count as dwellings if they are someone’s main house. *Which Are Occupied* Any dwelling apart from those which are vacant or second homes. The number of occupied dwellings is a good estimate of the number of households. *Which Are Vacant* This includes dwellings that are exempt from Council Tax and are unoccupied; and dwellings which are recorded on Council Tax systems as being long-term empty properties. *Which Are Second Homes* These dwellings are subject to a Council Tax discount of between 10 per cent and 50 per cent due to being second homes. This includes self-catering holiday accommodation available to let for a total of less than 140 days per year. Second homes which are let out for 140 days or more are not included in these figures as they are classed as business so pay non-domestic rates rather than Council Tax. Each Council sets the level of discount for second homes. *With ‘Occupied Exemptions’* Dwellings exempt from Council Tax, which are occupied. This includes: dwellings only occupied by students, armed forces accommodation owned by the Secretary of State for Defence, dwellings which are the sole residence only of people aged under 18 or people who are classed as severely mentally impaired, trial flats used by registered housing associations, and prisons. *With Single Adult Discount* Dwellings subject to a Council Tax discount of 25 per cent. This may include, for example, dwellings with a single adult, dwellings with one adult living with one or more children, or with one or more adults who are 'disregarded' for Council Tax purposes. xsd:string
-
Graph http://publishmydata.com/def/dataset#graph
-
In folder http://publishmydata.com/def/ontology/folder/inFolder
-
Housing http://statistics.gov.scot/def/concept/folders/themes/housing
-
National Records of Scotland http://statistics.gov.scot/def/concept/folders/organisations/national-records-of-scotland
-
Household Estimates xsd:string
-
National Records of Scotland http://statistics.gov.scot/id/organisation/national-records-of-scotland
-
Quality Management http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/quality-management
-
Total dwellings per Data Zone are compared with earlier years’ data, and with dwellings data extracted from the Assessor’s Portal, to identify any potential issues. Explanations for large changes in total dwellings are sought from local authorities. The total number of dwellings of each occupation status in each local authority is also compared to the Councils’ data collection from Council Tax billing systems (Council Tax Base collection). xsd:string
-
http://statistics.gov.scot/help http://statistics.gov.scot/help
-
Relevance http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance
-
The statistics are mainly used for informing Councils’ decisions about housing need and service provision. They are also used as the denominator for other statistics (e.g. the percentage of households receiving benefits). xsd:string
-
Revisions http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/revisions
-
In 2015, revisions were made to the household estimates previously published for Shetland Islands (2007-2014), City of Edinburgh (2014) and West Lothian (2013-2014). For full details see the ‘Estimates of households and dwellings in Scotland, 2015’ publications on the NRS website. Revisions and corrections to previously published estimates are dealt with in accordance with the Scottish Government Statistician Group corporate policy statement on revisions and corrections - a copy of which is available on the Scottish Government website. xsd:string
-
Housing http://statistics.gov.scot/def/concept/folders/themes/housing
-
National Records of Scotland http://statistics.gov.scot/def/concept/folders/organisations/national-records-of-scotland
-
Timeliness and Punctuality http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/timeliness-and-punctuality
-
Data is received from Council Tax billing systems on the first Monday of September each year and published the following summer. xsd:string
-
Household Estimates xsd:string
-
Data set http://purl.org/linked-data/cube#DataSet
-
Dataset http://publishmydata.com/def/dataset#Dataset
-
dataset http://rdfs.org/ns/void#Dataset
-
Dataset http://www.w3.org/ns/dcat#Dataset
Machine-readable formats
In addition to this bookmarkable html page, this dataset metadata is also available for our robot customers in the following machine-readable formats. Please refer to the API documentation for more details.
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