Substandard housing has become a real issue in Scotland
One in three homes in Scotland do not meet the public’s idea of decent standards new research for Shelter Scotland has found.
Some 34% of Scottish homes did not meet the Living Home Standard, a rating produced in consultation with the public on what constitutes the minimum requirement for a good home.
Young people, families with children, renters and people on low incomes were most likely to live in homes that fell below the standard, the research found.
The Living Home Standard was produced by Ipsos MORI on behalf of Shelter after carrying out a series of public surveys, discussion groups and workshops.
It is based on 39 criteria split into five areas: affordability, decent conditions, space, stability and neighbourhood.
Essential attributes were things like a householder can pay the rent or mortgage without cutting out essential spending on food or heating, the home can be heated effectively, it is free of mould and that it has a toilet and bath or shower and hot and cold running water.
Other essentials include having space to cook and for the family to gather in one room, control over length of stay and feeling safe in the neighbourhood.
Ipsos MORI consulted 1,140 people between January and March this year, asking them to rate their own home in all 39 attributes.
Affordability and decent conditions were the two key areas where people’s homes failed most often - with an 18% failure rate on each. Some 8% failed on having adequate space, 6% failed on stability and 3% on neighbourhood.
One in 10 homes failed on more than one of the five dimensions.
Launching the report, Adam Lang, head of communications and policy at Shelter Scotland, said: “The most damning conclusion from this research is the housing divide.
"The gap between people’s housing aspirations and what their homes actually provide them with is not evenly spread. For those who are young, who have children, who rent or have lower incomes, the gap is very much larger.”
He added: "There is now welcome cross-party support in place on the need to build more social and affordable homes. But what kind of homes? Who are they for? And in which neighbourhoods?
"A house cannot truly be a home until it provides the quality, space and environment in which the people living in it can flourish. Most crucially, a home must also be affordable.”
