Where are Scotland’s Long Term Empty Homes?
Long Term Empty Homes – Statistics
Where are Scotland’s Long Term Empty Homes?
The Scottish Government publish annual statistics showing the total number of long term empty homes (defined as ‘properties which have been empty for more than 6 months and are liable for council tax’) and homes empty for longer than 12 months in each of the 32 local authorities in Scotland.
Statistics showing the total number of dwellings in Scotland are published annually by National Records of Scotland.
The maps below draw on both of these sources to show the distribution of homes and empty homes across Scotland in 2023.
Number of long term empty homes in Scotland by local authority
| Local Authority | % of Scotland’s Homes | % of Scotland’s LTE Homes | Total Homes | Total LTE Homes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen City | 4.57% | 12.10% | 123,363 | 5,594 |
| Aberdeenshire | 4.50% | 5.85% | 121,591 | 2,704 |
| Angus | 2.15% | 2.67% | 58,087 | 1,236 |
| Argyll & Bute | 1.81% | 2.88% | 48,760 | 1,329 |
| City of Edinburgh | 9.67% | 15.58% | 260,924 | 7,200 |
| Clackmannanshire | 0.93% | 0.48% | 25,108 | 222 |
| Dumfries & Galloway | 2.81% | 3.99% | 75,921 | 1,844 |
| Dundee | 2.81% | 2.31% | 75,839 | 1,067 |
| East Ayrshire | 2.20% | 1.13% | 59,300 | 524 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 1.78% | 0.69% | 47,926 | 317 |
| East Lothian | 1.90% | 1.08% | 51,413 | 498 |
| East Renfrewshire | 1.50% | 0.27% | 40,498 | 124 |
| Falkirk | 2.83% | 1.77% | 76,359 | 817 |
| Fife | 6.72% | 5.35% | 181,341 | 2,471 |
| Glasgow | 11.94% | 5.83% | 322,376 | 2,696 |
| Highland | 4.53% | 7.33% | 122,205 | 3,390 |
| Inverclyde | 1.47% | 1.24% | 39,758 | 575 |
| Midlothian | 1.60% | 0.92% | 43,217 | 423 |
| Moray | 1.73% | 2.01% | 46,606 | 928 |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | 0.55% | 1.49% | 14,980 | 688 |
| North Ayrshire | 2.58% | 2.25% | 69,695 | 1,040 |
| North Lanarkshire | 5.91% | 4.08% | 159,459 | 1,885 |
| Orkney | 0.43% | 0.55% | 11,613 | 252 |
| Perth & Kinross | 2.79% | 2.76% | 75,310 | 1,275 |
| Renfrewshire | 3.35% | 1.72% | 90,480 | 796 |
| Scottish Borders | 2.21% | 3.42% | 59,544 | 1,580 |
| Shetland | 0.43% | 1.36% | 11,544 | 629 |
| South Ayrshire | 2.09% | 1.77% | 56,452 | 816 |
| South Lanarkshire | 5.83% | 3.53% | 157,353 | 1,630 |
| Stirling | 1.58% | 1.31% | 42,659 | 606 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 1.70% | 1.07% | 45,846 | 494 |
| West Lothian | 3.10% | 1.23% | 85,575 | 567 |
Number of homes empty for more than 12 months in Scotland by local authority
| Local Authority | % of Scotland’s Homes | % of Scotland’s 12 Months+ LTE Homes | Total Homes | Total 12 Months+ LTE Homes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen City | 4.79% | 9.25% | 123,363 | 2,615 |
| Aberdeenshire | 4.72% | 7.03% | 121,591 | 1,988 |
| Angus | 2.26% | 3.49% | 58,087 | 986 |
| Argyll & Bute | 1.89% | 3.24% | 48,760 | 915 |
| City of Edinburgh | 10.13% | 9.73% | 260,924 | 2,751 |
| Clackmannanshire | 0.97% | 0.36% | 25,108 | 102 |
| Dumfries & Galloway | 2.95% | 4.45% | 75,921 | 1,258 |
| Dundee | 2.94% | 1.71% | 75,839 | 485 |
| East Ayrshire | 2.30% | 1.30% | 59,300 | 369 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 1.86% | 0.78% | 47,926 | 220 |
| East Lothian | 2.00% | 1.18% | 51,413 | 334 |
| Falkirk | 2.96% | 1.28% | 76,359 | 361 |
| Fife | 7.04% | 6.76% | 181,341 | 1,911 |
| Glasgow | 12.52% | 4.93% | 322,376 | 1,395 |
| Highland | 4.74% | 11.79% | 122,205 | 3,334 |
| Inverclyde | 1.54% | 1.56% | 39,758 | 441 |
| Midlothian | 1.68% | 1.50% | 43,217 | 423 |
| Moray | 1.81% | 1.91% | 46,606 | 539 |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | 0.58% | 2.05% | 14,980 | 581 |
| North Ayrshire | 2.71% | 1.96% | 69,695 | 554 |
| North Lanarkshire | 6.19% | 3.85% | 159,459 | 1,090 |
| Orkney | 0.45% | 0.71% | 11,613 | 201 |
| Perth & Kinross | 2.92% | 2.74% | 75,310 | 776 |
| Renfrewshire | 3.51% | 1.39% | 90,480 | 394 |
| Scottish Borders | 2.31% | 3.53% | 59,544 | 999 |
| Shetland | 0.45% | 1.51% | 11,544 | 428 |
| South Ayrshire | 2.19% | 1.07% | 56,452 | 303 |
| South Lanarkshire | 6.11% | 5.28% | 157,353 | 1,493 |
| Stirling | 1.66% | 1.64% | 42,659 | 465 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 1.78% | 0.92% | 45,846 | 260 |
| West Lothian | 3.24% | 1.09% | 85,575 | 309 |
*East Renfrewshire is excluded from this table as number of LTE homes empty for 12+ months was not published in the figures reported by Scottish Government.
Sources:
Housing statistics: Empty properties and second homes – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
Small Area Statistics on Households and Dwellings | National Records of Scotland (nrscotland.gov.uk)