Tables are published on the [Scottish Government Housing Statistics](http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration) website as soon as possible once data collection, data processing and preparation of tables and publication material is complete, generally in September each year. The open data platform will be updated as soon as possible after publication.
The figures on lettings only include permanent lettings to local authority stock. The following types of lets are excluded from these figures: -Lets made to stock held by Registered Social Landlords -Tenants rehoused through nomination to another landlord.
Figures are sourced from management information systems therefore there no sampling error or confidence interval that would affect the accuracy of the results, although there may be a small amount of error associated with non-response and subsequent estimation.
Data on the number of applicants on lettings made by local authorities has been collected in a consistent manner since 2001. The time series is affected by 6 local authorities that transferred all of their stock to housing associations between 2003 and 2007. This means that figures for Glasgow and Scottish Borders are excluded from 2003 onwards, Dumfries & Galloway from 2004, Na h-Eileanan Siar and Argyll & Bute from 2007 and Inverclyde from 2008. The Scottish Housing Regulator collect figures on lettings made by all social landlords, including RSLs and the 26 local authorities that own housing stock. Although the timing and data sources used by SHR and SG Housing statistics are similar, there may be some differences in definitions which may cause figures to be slightly different in some cases.
The return collects information on permanent lettings made to LA stock during the relevant year, broken down by source of let. New lets should be considered as the total number of permanent lets, less lets made as transfers to existing tenants). Lets to homeless households are counted under the definition of part II Housing (Scotland) Act 1987. If 2 or more sources apply (e.g. homes and housing waiting list), the letting is recorded only against the first relevant category from the following ordered list: transfers (existing tenants), homeless households, care in the community, housing list, income mobility scheme, other. This approach ensures that there will be no double counting on the lettings form.
Lettings of local authority dwellings, by local authority
Information on number of lets made is collected at an aggregate level. Sensitive or confidential information relating to individual houses or people is not collected.
Data collected on numbers of lettings made by local authorities are sourced directly from the 32 Local Authorities in Scotland. There is no sampling involved in this data collection and complete coverage of Scotland is usually achieved across most data items. In the event of non-response from a Local Authority, an estimate can be made either based on previous returns or on alternative information sources. Information provided by Local Authorities is extracted from Management Information Systems. We expect this information to be of good quality as it is used in the day to day housing management as well as for reporting purposes. We also expect the systems to have some built quality assurance. Scottish Government statisticians carry out quality assurance of data provided from each Local Authority prior to publication. In particular figures are compared to those provided in previous years. Where there appears to be a discrepancy this is queried with the local authority and, if necessary, changes are made either to the latest year's data or to that for earlier years in order to ensure consistency.
The Lettings return records changes to the number of applications for a local authority dwelling on local authority housing registers and common housing registers during the year to 31 March. It was introduced in March 2001, and was completed on a quarterly basis until end March 2007, when it became an annual data collection and is now part of the Housing Statistics Annual Return. Data suppliers are asked to state the total number of permanent lettings made to local authority stock during the year by source of tenant: transfers (existing tenants); Homeless households; Care in the community; Housing Register; Incoming mobility scheme; and Other sources.
Figures are subject to routine revisions. The figures may contain estimates where an authority is unable to return data. These are revised in the next scheduled publication following receipt of revised data.
Data file for Local Authority Housing Lettings