Housing: key points

• Housing has an important influence on health and wellbeing through several routes. These include: affordability, fuel poverty, quality, the local environment, and personal independence.
• Housing is part of the causal chain of health inequalities.
• In Scotland, many people do not live in a house that is warm, dry and affordable.
• Housing tenure has changed considerably since the turn of the century, with a reduction in social housing and an increasing number of households relying on the Private Rented Sector to meet their needs.
• Raising and maintaining the quality of housing stock remains an ongoing challenge as does the provision of affordable housing.
• Fuel poverty is a significant problem for many households.