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Postcode area · Kirkwall

Housing in KW

What the homes in KW are, who owns them, how many people share them and what they rent for.

Council
Highland
Region
Scotland
Population
52,503 (2024)
Property types

What homes look like here

The most common homes here are detached houses (49%). Flats make up 8.2%, less than half the 34.4% across Scotland.

KWScotland
Detached49%23.9%
Semi-detached29.3%23.3%
Terraced13.3%18.2%
Purpose-built flat6.5%32.4%
Flat in a converted or shared house1.2%1.6%
Flat in a commercial or converted building0.4%0.4%
Caravan or mobile home0.3%0.2%
Tenure

Owning vs renting

68.2% of households in KW own their home, broadly in line with the Scotland average of 62.4%. Private renting makes up 8.7% of households, well below the Scotland figure of 12.9%. 46.1% own outright and 22.1% with a mortgage.

KW
68%
19%
Scotland
  • Owned68.2%62.4%
  • Shared ownership0.9%0.9%
  • Private rented8.7%12.9%
  • Social rented19.2%22.5%
  • Lives rent free2.8%1.4%

By mortgage and landlord type

KWScotland
Owned outright46.1%33.9%
With a mortgage or loan22.1%28.4%
From a private landlord or letting agent8.3%12.4%
Other private rented0.3%0.5%
Occupancy

How many people live in each home

The average home here has 2.0 people living in it. 39.4% of households are one person living alone, against 37.1% across Scotland.

KWScotland
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
123456+
Households

Who lives together

The most common household is one person living alone aged under 66 (22.7%). 19.1% of households include dependent children.

KWScotland
Living alone, under 6622.7%22.8%
Living alone, 66 and over16.8%14.3%
Couple, no children19%17.4%
Couple with dependent children14.5%16.3%
Couple with grown-up children5.5%6%
Lone parent with dependent children4.6%5.8%
Lone parent with grown-up children3.1%4.1%
Family, all aged 66 and over10.7%8.7%
Sharers and other households2.8%4.7%
Rents

Private rents in Scotland

Average monthly rent for a new or renewed tenancy in Scotland (August 2026, +1.1% on a year earlier). ONS publishes rent figures at council level rather than by neighbourhood.

ScotlandScotland
All homes£1,013£1,013
One bedroom£702£702
Two bedrooms£911£911
Three bedrooms£1,172£1,172
Four or more£1,941£1,941
Detached£1,555£1,555
Semi-detached£1,077£1,077
Terraced£1,004£1,004
Flat or maisonette£840£840

Source: Scotland's Census 2022, National Records of Scotland. Population: NRS small-area estimates. Open Government Licence v3.0. Rents: ONS Price Index of Private Rents.

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