SCOTS know very little about their housing options beyond buying with a mortgage or renting in the private or social sectors, according to a new opinion poll.
The survey, commissioned to coincide with the first official Scottish Housing Day, also found significant regional variations in the types of housing tenure people were interested in considering for their future home.
Scottish Housing Day’s purpose is to raise public awareness of developments in housing and the available options – and housing organisations are hosting a range of activities to mark the day.
The survey was undertaken by Progressive Partnership in conjunction with YouGov, and showed 89 per cent of all respondents said they know “nothing” or “very little” about the Home Owners’ Support Fund.
Some 83 per cent knew “nothing” or “very little” about mid-market rent (sometimes referred to as intermediate rent or sub-market rent); 81 per cent said they know “nothing” or “very little” about the Open Market Shared Equity Scheme, which allows a property to be purchased with shared ownership.
The proportion of those out of the total sample knowing “nothing” or “very little” was 80 per cent in relation to supported accommodation and 71 per cent for both Help to Buy (buying new build with shared ownership) and self-build.
The survey also highlighted significant regional variations in people’s preferences when it came to housing tenures they might consider. Overall, buying with a mortgage remains the most often-considered option, with 41 per cent of all respondents saying they would consider this, followed by social renting (20 per cent) and renting from a private landlord (18 per cent).
However, the proportion of adults considering buying with a mortgage varied considerably between regions, from as high as 62 per cent in the Lothians and as low as 32 per cent in the central region.
The Open Market Shared Equity Scheme was popular in the west, where 12 per cent of respondents said they would consider it as an option. There was strong interest in self-build in the Highlands and Islands with 28 per cent of people favouring it. Interest in social renting as an option ranged from 10 per cent in the Highlands and Islands to 30 per cent in the south of Scotland.
In the Lothians 29 per cent said they were interested in renting from a private landlord compared to just eight per cent in the Highlands and Islands. At 16 per cent, there was also strong interest in mid-market rent in the Lothians region.
Local government and housing minister Kevin Stewart said people were missing out because they didn’t know or understand the range of affordable options open to them.
“Scottish Housing Day is a great opportunity to raise awareness of all the types of housing that are available – whether it’s equity schemes, mid-market rent or even building your own home – we want to make sure people are making the most of the wide range of ways they can access the housing market,” he said.
“We are committed to making sure everyone has access to a warm, good quality home which is why we are investing £3 billion and have set the ambitious target of delivering 50,000 affordable homes, with 35,000 of these being for social rent, over the lifetime of this parliament.
“We are also supporting people into home ownership with our £500m Help to Buy (Scotland) and open-market shared equity schemes.”
Annie Mauger, director of the Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland, said: “The results of this new poll confirm that, aside from buying with a mortgage, social renting and renting from a private landlord, the Scottish public generally knows very little about the broader range of housing options potentially available to them when considering where to live.
“The low level of knowledge and awareness about different housing options identified by this poll clearly demonstrates the hugely beneficial role an annual Scottish Housing Day can play in stimulating discussion and making information and advice about housing options more widely and easily available.”
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