Professor Gibb leads on shared understanding of housing affordability
Published: 3 November 2025
Commentary
A new report shares nine key recommendations proposed to help Scotland achieve a shared understanding of housing affordability.
A new report, based on findings from the Scottish Government’s Short Life Working Group (SLWG) 2022-2024 and chaired by the UofG’s Professor Kenneth Gibb, shares nine key recommendations proposed to help Scotland achieve a shared understanding of housing affordability.
With multiple definitions of ‘housing affordability’ and widespread disagreement on what affordability means, Scotland’s long term housing strategy, Housing to 2040, argued for the need to develop a shared understanding of a single commonly held definition that is fit for the future, and consistently adopted across Scotland.
The report recommends that a shared understanding of housing affordability should have three components for renter households in Scotland (recommendation 7a), all of which need to be met, at least, by 2040.
A maximum of 30% of net income should be accounted for by rent and service charges, and a minimum residual income should be achieved, based on 100% of the After Housing Costs Minimum Income Standard set by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Progress should also be made towards reducing the numbers exceeding the UK after housing costs relative poverty threshold.
Moving forward, the report argues that to achieve affordability objectives for Scotland, stakeholders must recognise that affordability is shaped not just by housing costs but by income levels, economic growth, jobs and productivity, as well as equalities policies and benefit levels. It can only be understood as the combination of these factors and not in isolation.
SLWG Chair Professor Kenneth Gibb, CaCHE Director and Professor of Housing Economics at the University of Glasgow, said: "The working group always recognised that there is no pure or perfect answer to the question set – affordability is fundamentally normative, subjective and judgemental. We have tried to use a combination of evidence, argument and new research to help us build a sufficient consensus around our multi-part definition. It is now for the Scottish Government to respond to our shared understanding recommendations."
First published: 3 November 2025