Orkney Islands · report
Renovation in Orkney Islands
In 2026, 10% of the homes added came from existing buildings rather than new ones.
- Homes from existing buildings, 2026
- 10%
Homes finished in Orkney Islands, by type of work
Homes added each financial year: new build, and homes gained by converting buildings or changing their use, net of those lost. MHCLG (England) and the Scottish Government.
- Conversions
- Extensions
- New buildings
Show the numbers
| Year | New buildings | Extensions | Conversions | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 79 | — | 9 | 88 |
| 2025 | 72 | — | 0 | 72 |
| 2024 | 92 | — | 11 | 103 |
| 2023 | 61 | — | 6 | 67 |
| 2022 | 127 | — | 6 | 133 |
| 2021 | 57 | — | 6 | 63 |
| 2020 | 77 | — | 5 | 82 |
| 2019 | 130 | — | 0 | 130 |
| 2018 | 106 | — | 10 | 116 |
| 2017 | 133 | — | 1 | 134 |
| 2016 | 104 | — | 14 | 118 |
| 2015 | 100 | — | 9 | 109 |
| 2014 | 130 | — | 13 | 143 |
| 2013 | 211 | — | 8 | 219 |
| 2012 | 252 | — | 13 | 265 |
| 2011 | 133 | — | 18 | 151 |
| 2010 | 174 | — | 13 | 187 |
| 2009 | 204 | — | 4 | 208 |
| 2008 | 173 | — | 14 | 187 |
| 2007 | 138 | — | 12 | 150 |
| 2006 | 84 | — | 18 | 102 |
| 2005 | 115 | — | 2 | 117 |
| 2004 | 53 | — | 2 | 55 |
| 2003 | 108 | — | 6 | 114 |
| 2002 | 100 | — | 12 | 112 |
| 2001 | 48 | — | 6 | 54 |
| 2000 | 24 | — | 1 | 25 |
| 1999 | 41 | — | 11 | 52 |
| 1998 | 17 | — | 7 | 24 |
| 1997 | 34 | — | 9 | 43 |
England counts net additions: new build, plus homes gained by converting buildings or changing their use, net of those lost. Scotland counts homes from conversions. Wales and Northern Ireland publish no such split. Years are financial years, April to March, named by the year they end in.
Other reports for Orkney Islands
Sale prices have an 80% chance of landing between £171,605 and £249,475 by August 2027.
- Expected, August 2027
- £210,540
- Chance of a rise
- 42%
At the average sale price, a home costs £216,479. With 10% down and a 30-year mortgage, the payment is £999 a month. The UK sets no cap on the payment; no more than 15% of new mortgages may lend over 4.5 times income.
- Payment, two incomes
- 14%
- Payment, one income
- 28%
Figures for Scotland: Orkney Islands has no reliable figures of its own.
Owning the average home costs less each month than renting it. Owning counts interest, running costs and the return the deposit could earn, at the average sale price; rent is the average of all private tenancies. Repaying the loan is saving, so it is left out.
- Rent per month
- £1,011
- Owning per month
- £934
38.8% fewer homes were started in the last 12 months than in an average year of the past decade.
- Started, 12 months
- 49
- Per 1,000 residents
- 2.2
Figures for United Kingdom: Orkney Islands has no reliable figures of its own.
Buyers living abroad bought 1.8% of the homes sold here in the four quarters to Q1 2025.
- Bought by buyers abroad, 12 months
- 1.8%
Sale prices have fallen by 3% or more 21 times since 2004. The deepest began in November 2019.
- Deepest fall
- −27.7%
- Recovery from the low
- 7 months
In 2025 the population fell by 79 while 73 homes were finished.
- Homes finished, 2025
- 73
- Population change, 2025
- −79