Nearly one in five properties in St Andrews have been bought by purchasers based outside Scotland, according to new research, fuelling concerns about an affordable housing crisis in the Fife town. The study, based on Registers of Scotland data obtained by the BBC, highlights how the town's prestigious university and famous golf courses have made it a magnet for wealthy overseas buyers, who locals say can easily outbid them and are squeezing residents and students out of the housing market.

Of the property titles registered in St Andrews' KY16 postcodes, 81 per cent were lodged to Scotland-based owners, with 845 registered elsewhere in the UK and 444 to buyers from 51 other countries or crown dependencies, led by the US, Switzerland and Hong Kong. Average house prices in the town reached £482,879 over the past year, more than double the Scottish average and up 10 per cent since 2020, while average rents of £1,702 a month also far exceed the national figure of £1,245. Fife Council has called affordable housing a "major challenge" and introduced quotas in new developments, while students and staff, including PhD researcher Francesca Bisi, described being priced out and forced to commute or accept poor-value accommodation.