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Data Provider: Welsh Government National Statistics Vacancies by local authority area, availability and duration
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Metadata

Title

Social housing vacancies

Last update

8 June 2023 8 June 2023

Next update

March 2024

Publishing organisation

Welsh Government

Source 1

Social housing vacancies data collection, Welsh Government

Contact email

stats.housing@gov.wales

Designation

National Statistics

Lowest level of geographical disaggregation

Local authorities

Geographical coverage

Wales

Languages covered

English and Welsh

Data licensing

You may use and re-use this data free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government License - see http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence

Statistical quality

Please find this information in the related statistical publication, as per the given weblink.

Keywords

Housing, Vacancies, Self-contained, Non Self-contained, Lettings

General description

The information presented here covers the number of vacancies within housing stock held by Local Authorities and Registered Social Landlords. The information is collected via new annual returns from Welsh social landlords in order to monitor trends over time in the proportion of housing stock which is vacant.

Vacant dwellings includes:
1.)Dwellings undergoing or awaiting major capital works repair, conversion or improvement;
2.)Vacant dwellings that have formal approval for sale or demolition only if they are still part of HRA (Housing Revenue Account) dwellings;
3.)All vacant dwellings to be sold whether awaiting sale or undergoing repair prior to being sold;
4.)Vacant dwellings subject to demolition or closing orders or acquired for demolition under Part VI or IX of the Housing Act 1985.

The information presented here excludes vacant dwellings where an offer of tenancy has been accepted even if no rent is being paid at the end of the financial year.


Data collection and calculation

The information presented here is collected via annual returns from Local Authorities and Registered Social Landlords as at 31 March each year.

In 2018-19 one RSL (Baneswell Housing Association) was unable to submit data. Therefore information provided by Baneswell HA for 2017-18 has been used for 2018-19 to provide a more accurate local authority total and Wales level total.

In 2014-15, ‘Flintshire’ was unable to provide data on the number of Vacancies. Therefore, 2013-14 has been used for 2014-15 to provide a more accurate ‘local authority’ total and ‘Wales level’ total. Care should be taken when using data for Flintshire for 2014-15, and the calculated local authority and Wales total in comparison to previous years.

During the 2009-10 and 2010-11 data collection and validation, some landlords were unable to either submit data or to resolve validation errors. Where this is the case, the best available estimate of the missing or incorrect data has been used. Whilst this should have only a small effect on data at a Wales level, care may be needed when using data for specific areas and providers. The list below details the issues:
1.) Data on vacancies for Blaenau Gwent was unavailable, so 2008-09 data has been used for 2009-10;
2.) For 2008-09 2009-10 and 2010-11 Abbeyfield societies, Almshouse Charities and Co-ownership societies were not required to complete a vacancies return;
3.) Data for Gwalia Housing Group was unavailable for 2010-11 and 2011-12, so 2009-10 data has been used for both years.

Frequency of publication

Annual

Data reference periods

Data are shown for each financial year from 1996-97.

Note that, due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020, data on social housing vacancies in Wales for 2019-20 were not collected.

Users, uses and context

Please find this information in the related statistical publication, as per the given weblink.

Rounding applied

None

Revisions information

Data prior to the last period covered have been revised since previously published. Revisions are marked in the data with an (r).