This dataset contains information on the number ('count') of dwellings in each Data Zone and the numbers that are in each Council Tax band. Numbers of dwellings at higher geographies are aggregated from 2001 Data Zones. [Dwellings by Council Tax Band for 2011 Data Zones](http://statistics.gov.scot/data/dwellings-by-council-tax-band-summary-current-geographic-boundaries) are available. Data zones are the small area geography used by Scottish Government to allow statistics to be available across a number of policy areas. The Data Zone geography covers the whole of Scotland. Data zones were initially set up to nest within council area boundaries and to have a population of between 500 and 1,000 household residents. As much as possible, Data Zones were set up to contain households with similar social characteristics and to take into consideration physical boundaries. More information on Data Zone geography can be found on the [Scottish Government website](https://www.gov.scot/collections/small-area-statistics/). Data on Council Tax band is obtained from the Assessors' Portal in December each year, or the following January. The Assessors are, amongst other things, responsible for valuing each dwelling in Scotland for the purposes of assigning it to a Council Tax Band. The estimated total number of dwellings in this dataset differs from those in the ['Household Estimates'](https://statistics.gov.scot/resource?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fstatistics.gov.scot%2Fdata%2Fhousehold-estimates) dataset as the latter are extracted from a different source (Council Tax systems), at a different time of year (September). *Total Dwellings* This is the total number of dwellings on the Council Tax valuation list (excluding free-standing private lock-ups and garages). 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 home. *Council Tax Band* Each dwelling is placed in one of eight [Council Tax bands](https://www.saa.gov.uk/council-tax/council-tax-bands/) (A to H), with dwellings in band H being the most expensive. The Council Tax band reflects the Assessor's opinion of open market value, subject to a number of statutory assumptions. Assessors base their opinion of value on the actual selling prices of similar properties which sold around the valuation date of 1 April 1991. Summary statistics for National Parks, urban-rural classifications and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation deciles are published annually in 'Estimates of Households and Dwellings in Scotland', which is available on the [National Records of Scotland (NRS) website](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/households/household-estimates).
Dwellings by Council Tax Band (Historical Geographic Boundaries)
A small revision was made to the figures for two Data Zones in Falkirk council area in 2012, for the years 2005 to 2009. This was to move around 20 dwellings to the correct Data Zone. The figures for the council area and for Scotland as a whole are unaffected by this change. 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.
Data on Council Tax band is obtained from the Assessors' Portal. The Council Tax band reflects the Assessor's opinion of open market value, subject to a number of statutory assumptions. Assessors base their opinion of value on the actual selling prices of similar properties which sold around the valuation date of 1 April 1991. It is possible that not all information held on the Assessors' Portal is up-to-date. Assessors are only able to reflect physical changes and alterations to dwellings once they have been sold and a reconsideration of the banding has taken place. 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 Zone. 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.
Number of dwellings by Council Tax band. Higher geographies are aggregated from 2001 Data Zones.
It is the policy of NRS to make its website and products accessible according to published guidelines. More information is available in the [Accessibility section](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/accessibility) of the NRS website.
This dataset does not contain any directly identifiable personal information.
The statistics are also provided in Excel and CSV formats on the NRS website. They are designed to be consistent, and incorporate comparable historical data where appropriate.
Postcode level information is extracted from the Assessors' Portal. Postcodes are used to assign data to Data Zones. The data is cleaned to ensure that all records are located in a Data Zone within the council area assigned by the Assessor. Records using out of date postcodes are also investigated to check that they are still placed in the correct Data Zone. Differences in total number of dwellings in a Data Zone outwith a threshold are investigated to determine if there is a reasonable explanation for the increase or reduction. Frequencies for variables (e.g. type of dwelling) are compared with earlier years' data to identify any potential issues. The results of postcode cleaning and quality assurance work are fed back to the Assessors each year.
Data for each year were downloaded from the Assessors' Portal in late December of that year or early January of the following year, e.g. 2013 data was downloaded on 7 January 2014. The summary statistics were published in the following summer.
The statistics are mainly used for informing councils' decisions about housing need and service provision.
Data file for Dwellings by Council Tax Band (Historical Geographic Boundaries)