National Records of Scotland
type: Organization
contact point: ContactPoint
  contact type: customer service

dwellings-rooms.csv
type: DataDownload
comment: Number of dwellings by number of rooms within the dwelling
dictionary: Column
  column: GeographyName
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Value
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Units
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: DateCode
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Measurement
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Number Of Rooms
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: GeographyType
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: GeographyCode
  type: text
description: Data file for Dwellings by Number of Rooms
encoding format: CSV

Dwellings by Number of Rooms
type: Dataset
accuracy: Data on number of rooms is obtained from the Assessors' Portal. Number of rooms is defined as the number of habitable rooms (usually bedrooms and living rooms). This is different to the census definition, which includes kitchens. There may be some differences between different Assessors' areas in the way in which this information is recorded. For example, differences could arise in the treatment of open plan areas, dining rooms, kitchens and kitchenettes. 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 therefore this information may not always represent the most up-to-date position. 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. Information on the number of rooms is not available for most dwellings in Shetland. No information is separately available for dwellings with seven or more rooms in Dumfries and Galloway. Number of rooms for 2015 is an NRS estimate rather than being directly based on numbers extracted from the Assessor's portal in January 2016. Data on number of rooms was not available in the extract taken in January 2016. The estimates for type of dwelling for 2015 have been estimated by NRS based on data extracted f…
comment: Number of dwellings by number of rooms within the dwelling
completeness: 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 of the NRS website.
confidentiality: This dataset does not contain any directly identifiable personal information.
consistency: The statistics are also provided in Excel, PDF and CSV formats on the NRS website. The statistics are designed to be consistent, and incorporate comparable historical data where appropriate. Number of rooms is defined as the number of habitable rooms (usually bedrooms and living rooms), this is different to the census definition as that definition includes kitchens. There may be some differences between Assessors' areas in the way in which information on number of rooms is recorded. For example, differences could arise in the treatment of open plan areas, dining rooms, kitchens and kitchenettes.
geographical coverage: S13
geographical coverage: S08
geographical coverage: S92
geographical coverage: S02
geographical coverage: S03
geographical coverage: S16
geographical coverage: S01
geographical coverage: S12
license id: uk-ogl
next update: 2023-06-01
quality management: 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' Portal each year.
reference period: PeriodOfTime
  end date: 2017-01-01T00:00:00
  start date: 2006-01-01T00:00:00
timeliness: Data for each year is 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. It is published in the following summer.
uniqueness: Not assessed
update frequency: annual
validity: The statistics are mainly used for informing councils' decisions about housing need and service provision.
will be updated: true
contact point: ContactPoint
date modified: 2026-08-20T15:44:41.436099
date published: 2026-08-20T15:33:32.529519
description: Data for 2018 on number of rooms are not currently available. This dataset contains information on the number ('count') of dwellings in each data zone split by the number of rooms in the dwelling. The number of dwellings with an unknown number of rooms in each data zone is also given. Numbers of dwellings at higher geographies are aggregated from these data zone estimates. Data on number of rooms 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 differ from those in the 'Household Estimates' dataset as these are extracted from a different source (Council Tax systems) at a different time of year (September). *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 home. *Number of rooms* This is defined as the number of habitable rooms (usually bedrooms and living rooms). This is different to the census definition, which includes kitchens. There may be some differences between different Assessors' areas in the way in which this information is recorded. For example, differences could arise in the treatment of open plan areas, dining rooms, kitchens and kitchenettes. 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 therefore this information may not always represent the most up-to-date position. Summary statistics for 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 on the [National Records of Scotland…
included in data catalog: CKAN
keywords: Housing
license: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/