UK House Price Index Scotland: March 2020
Published 20 May 2020
Applies to Scotland
© Crown copyright 2020
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-house-price-index-scotland-march-2020/uk-house-price-index-scotland-march-2020
1. Headline statistics for March 2020
The average price of a property in Scotland was £151,856
The annual price change of a property in Scotland was 1.5%
The monthly price change of a property in Scotland was 0.4%
The index figure for Scotland (January 2015 = 100) was 111.5
Estimates for the most recent months are provisional and are likely to be updated as more data is incorporated into the index. Read the revision policies.
Next publication of UK HPI
Following the publication of the March index on 20 May, the UK HPI has been suspended until further notice. See the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website for more information.
2. Economic statement
The UK HPI is based on completed housing transactions. Typically, a house purchase can take 6 to 8 weeks to reach completion. Therefore, the price data feeding into the March 2020 UK HPI will reflect those completions that occurred before the government measures to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) took hold.
Scotland house prices increased by 1.5% in the year to March 2020, down from 3.0% in the year to February 2020. Scotland house prices were growing slower than the UK annual rate of 2.1% in the year to March 2020. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis average house prices in Scotland increased by 0.4% between February 2020 and March 2020, compared with an increase of 1.9% during the same period a year earlier (February 2019 and March 2019). On a seasonally adjusted basis, average house prices in Scotland have increased by 0.1% between February 2020 and March 2020.
Comparing the provisional volume estimate for January 2019 with the provisional estimate for January 2020, volume transactions increased by 5.3% in Scotland. UK volume transactions increased by 2.5% over the same period.
In Scotland, detached houses showed the biggest increase out of all property types, rising by 2.5% in the year to March 2020 to £265,000. The smallest average house price growth of all property types was in terraced houses, up by 0.9% in the year to March 2020 to £125,000.
House prices increased over the last year in 21 out of 32 local authority areas. The largest growth was in Scottish Borders, where prices increased by 12.3% in the year to March 2020 to £163,000. The biggest fall (not including Na h-Eileanan Siar and Orkney Islands) for the year ending March 2020 was recorded in City of Aberdeen, where average prices fell over the year by 3.5% to £145,000.
Due to the introduction of government measures to reduce the spread of coronavirus in March 2020, fewer transactions are available than expected for the March UK HPI. As a result, there may be increased volatility in this month’s estimates, particularly at the lower geographical levels where transaction volumes are smaller.
As with other indicators in the housing market, which typically fluctuate from month to month, it is important not to put too much weight on one month’s set of house price data.
3. Price change
3.1 Annual price change
Annual price change for Scotland over the past 5 years
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In Scotland, average prices increased by 1.5% in the year to March 2020 (down from 3.0% in the year to February 2020).
Annual price change by local authority for Scotland
Low numbers of sales transactions in some local authorities, such as Orkney Islands, Na h-Eileanan Siar and Shetland Islands, can lead to volatility in the series.
While we make efforts to account for this volatility, the change in price in these local levels can be influenced by the type and number of properties sold in any given period.
Geographies with low number of sales transactions should be analysed in the context of their longer-term trends rather than focusing on monthly movements.
| Local authorities | March 2020 | March 2019 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeenshire | £179,334 | £180,458 | -0.6% |
| Angus | £141,355 | £143,443 | -1.5% |
| Argyll and Bute | £140,629 | £142,180 | -1.1% |
| City of Aberdeen | £144,533 | £149,848 | -3.5% |
| City of Dundee | £130,328 | £117,907 | 10.5% |
| City of Edinburgh | £270,111 | £262,105 | 3.1% |
| City of Glasgow | £134,500 | £130,458 | 3.1% |
| Clackmannanshire | £132,022 | £127,666 | 3.4% |
| Dumfries and Galloway | £129,194 | £126,431 | 2.2% |
| East Ayrshire | £94,827 | £95,106 | -0.3% |
| East Dunbartonshire | £215,671 | £207,916 | 3.7% |
| East Lothian | £228,920 | £225,025 | 1.7% |
| East Renfrewshire | £232,220 | £222,995 | 4.1% |
| Falkirk | £131,712 | £120,250 | 9.5% |
| Fife | £133,382 | £130,653 | 2.1% |
| Highland | £164,248 | £165,643 | -0.8% |
| Inverclyde | £99,103 | £100,373 | -1.3% |
| Midlothian | £192,923 | £189,109 | 2.0% |
| Moray | £147,608 | £146,100 | 1.0% |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | £113,975 | £120,288 | -5.2% |
| North Ayrshire | £104,558 | £106,597 | -1.9% |
| North Lanarkshire | £111,268 | £106,181 | 4.8% |
| Orkney Islands | £131,476 | £139,853 | -6.0% |
| Perth and Kinross | £190,459 | £192,017 | -0.8% |
| Renfrewshire | £124,892 | £118,244 | 5.6% |
| Scottish Borders | £162,926 | £145,081 | 12.3% |
| Shetland Islands | £182,127 | £163,506 | 11.4% |
| South Ayrshire | £133,738 | £129,029 | 3.6% |
| South Lanarkshire | £126,798 | £126,266 | 0.4% |
| Stirling | £198,956 | £184,605 | 7.8% |
| West Dunbartonshire | £111,926 | £103,007 | 8.7% |
| West Lothian | £164,921 | £161,774 | 1.9% |
| Scotland | £151,856 | £149,625 | 1.5% |
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
Average price by local authority for Scotland
The heat map is unavailable due to the impact the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has had on operational services.
In March 2020, the most expensive area to purchase a property was City of Edinburgh, where the average cost was £270,000. In contrast, the cheapest area to purchase a property was East Ayrshire, where the average cost was £95,000. Due to the ongoing effects of coronavirus, the March 2020 estimates are based on fewer transactions than usual. This means volatility may be seen in the data at lower levels.
3.2 Average price change by property type
Average price change by property type for Scotland
| Property type | March 2020 | March 2019 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £265,208 | £258,860 | 2.5% |
| Semi-detached | £160,173 | £156,705 | 2.2% |
| Terraced | £125,480 | £124,420 | 0.9% |
| Flat or maisonette | £108,289 | £107,348 | 0.9% |
| All | £151,856 | £149,625 | 1.5% |
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
4. Sales volumes
The amount of time between the sale of a property and the registration of this information varies. It typically ranges between 2 weeks and 2 months but can be longer. Volume figures for the most recent 2 months are not yet at a reliable level for reporting, so they are not included in the report. Published transactions for recent months will increase as later registered transactions are incorporated into the index.
Sales volume data is also available by property status (new build and existing property) and funding status (cash and mortgage) in our downloadable data tables. Transactions involving the creation of a new register, such as new builds, are more complex and require more time to process. Read Revisions to the UK HPI data for more information.
4.1 Sales volumes by local authority
Sales volumes for Scotland by local authority
| Local authorities | January 2020 | January 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeenshire | 268 | 272 |
| Angus | 143 | 114 |
| Argyll and Bute | 120 | 141 |
| City of Aberdeen | 239 | 262 |
| City of Dundee | 185 | 185 |
| City of Edinburgh | 830 | 837 |
| City of Glasgow | 793 | 727 |
| Clackmannanshire | 74 | 51 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 143 | 150 |
| East Ayrshire | 121 | 125 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 110 | 117 |
| East Lothian | 161 | 138 |
| East Renfrewshire | 124 | 112 |
| Falkirk | 192 | 185 |
| Fife | 489 | 465 |
| Highland | 290 | 279 |
| Inverclyde | 98 | 91 |
| Midlothian | 145 | 100 |
| Moray | 124 | 117 |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | 14 | 26 |
| North Ayrshire | 172 | 153 |
| North Lanarkshire | 367 | 343 |
| Orkney Islands | 29 | 22 |
| Perth and Kinross | 204 | 212 |
| Renfrewshire | 277 | 255 |
| Scottish Borders | 148 | 120 |
| Shetland Islands | 22 | 19 |
| South Ayrshire | 136 | 150 |
| South Lanarkshire | 416 | 434 |
| Stirling | 96 | 124 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 103 | 97 |
| West Lothian | 227 | 231 |
| Scotland | 6,860 | 6,654 |
Note: The estimate for January 2020 is calculated based on around 98% of the final registered transactions in Scotland. The number of property transactions for January 2020 will increase as more transactions are incorporated into the index.
Comparing the provisional volume estimate for January 2019 with the provisional estimate for January 2020, volume transactions increased by 5.3% in Scotland.
UK Property Transaction Statistics published by HM Revenue & Customs (which differ in coverage but are more complete for this period) report that on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, volume transactions increased by 3.2% in Scotland in the year to January 2020.
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
4.2 Sales volumes
Sales volumes for Scotland over the past 5 years
| Date | Sales volumes for Scotland |
|---|---|
| January 2016 | 6,118 |
| January 2017 | 6,380 |
| January 2018 | 6,111 |
| January 2019 | 6,654 |
| January 2020 | 6,860 |
Download this chart’s data (CSV, 1KB)
5. Property status
Transactions involving the creation of a new register, such as new builds, are more complex and need more time to process. This means they can take longer to appear in the land registers. The volume of new build transactions for the most recent 2 months are not at a reliable level for reporting the breakdown between new build and existing resold property, so they are not included in the report.
New build and existing resold property for Scotland
| Property status | Average price January 2020 | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| New build | £225,417 | 9.7% | 9.2% |
| Existing resold property | £150,589 | 1.3% | 2.2% |
Download this chart’s data (CSV, 1KB)
Note: Since the October 2017 release, amendments have been made to our estimation model when calculating our provisional estimate. Find out further information and the impact of this change in methods used to produce the UK HPI.
6. Buyer status
First time buyer and former owner occupier for Scotland
| Type of buyer | Average price March 2020 | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| First time buyer | £122,427 | 0.3% | 1.1% |
| Former owner occupier | £182,613 | 0.4% | 2.0% |
Download this chart’s data (CSV, 1KB)
7. Funding status
Cash and mortgage indicator for Scotland
| Funding status | Average price March 2020 | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | £138,968 | 0.3% | 1.0% |
| Mortgage | £157,875 | 0.4% | 1.7% |
Download this chart’s data (CSV, 1KB)
8. Access the data
Download the data as CSV files or access it with our UK HPI tool.
Data revisions
View any revisions to previously published data in the data downloads or find out more about revisions in our guidance About the UK HPI.
9. About the UK House Price Index
The UK House Price Index (UK HPI) is calculated by the Office for National Statistics and Land & Property Services Northern Ireland. Find out about the methodology used to create the UK HPI.
Data for the UK House Price Index is provided by HM Land Registry, Registers of Scotland, The Land & Property Services/Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency and the Valuation Office Agency.
Find out more about the UK House Price Index.
10. Contact for Scotland queries
Anne MacDonald, Land & Property Data Team, Registers of Scotland
Email Anne.MacDonald@ros.gov.uk
Telephone 0131 378 4991