Accredited official statistics

Chapter 1: Profile of households and dwellings

Published 28 November 2024

Applies to England

Introduction

There are three main housing tenures in England: owner occupation and the private and social rented sectors. Owner occupation includes households who own their home outright and households who have a mortgage. The social rented sector includes both local authority and housing association homes.

This chapter begins with an overall profile of households living in these three tenures, including by region and demographic characteristics. It then goes on to discuss an overall profile of the English housing stock, including the age, type and size of dwellings by tenure and whether homes have outside space.

For an introduction and summary of main findings in this report as a whole, please see the Introduction and key findings.

Trends in tenure

In 2023-24, there were an estimated 24.7 million households in England living in self-contained accommodation, Annex Table 1.1. This figure excludes those living in institutional accommodation such as nursing homes or halls of residence.

Owner occupation remained the largest tenure group, with 16.0 million households, representing 65% of all households in England in 2023-24. Ownership rates were highest in 2003 at 71% of households but steadily declined post financial crisis in the early 2010’s to a low point in 2013-14 (63%). Over the last 10 years owner occupation increased to 65%, where it has remained  stable since 2019-20, Annex Table 1.1 and Figure 1.1.

In 2023-24, the private rented sector accounted for 4.7 million or 19% of households. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the proportion of private rented households was relatively steady at between 9% to 11%. While the sector has doubled in size since the early 2000s, the rate has remained around 19% or 20% since 2013-14.

The social rented sector, at 4.0 million households (16%), is the smallest tenure, following a longer-term downward trend which has stabilised over the last decade or so.

Figure 1.1: Trends in tenure (proportions), 1980 to 2023-24

^{Base: all households
Notes:
1) underlying data are presented in Annex Table 1.1
Sources:
1980 to 1991: DOE Labour Force Survey Housing Trailer;
1992 to 2008: ONS Labour Force Survey;
2008-09 onwards: English Housing Survey, full household sample}

While the overall proportion for the owner occupied and social sectors has not changed, the composition of the groups has. Owner occupation is made up of two groups: outright owners and those buying with a mortgage (referred to throughout this report as mortgagors). Since 2013-14 there have been more outright owners (33%) than mortgagors (31%) and the proportion of outright owners has since increased to 35% in 2023-24, while 30% were mortgagors, Figure 1.2. The increase in the number and proportion of outright owners is at least partly explained by population ageing, with large numbers of people reaching retirement age, paying off their mortgages and becoming outright owners, Figure 1.2. 

The composition of the social sector has also changed in the last decade. In 2013-14, the social rented sector accounted for 17% of households, with 10% (2.3 million) renting from housing associations and 7% (1.6 million) renting from local authorities. In 2023-24, more households (10% or 2.5 million) rented from housing associations, and fewer (6% or 1.5 million) from local authorities, Figure 1.2.

Figure 1.2: Trends in tenure (thousands of households), 1980 to 2023-24

^{Base: all households
Notes:
1) underlying data are presented in Annex Table 1.1
2) separate housing association/local authority estimates are not available prior to 2008-09. This is because a large number of HA tenants wrongly report that that they are LA tenants; most commonly because their home used to be owned by the council but had transferred to a housing association. Since 2008-09, an adjustment has been made for this.
Sources:
1980 to 1991: DOE Labour Force Survey Housing Trailer;
1992 to 2008: ONS Labour Force Survey;
2008-09 onwards: English Housing Survey, full household sample}

When compared with the other English regions, London had a different tenure profile. Renting was more prevalent and owner occupation was less prevalent in London than in the rest of England, Figure 1.3 and Annex Table 1.2.

Overall, the tenure profile in each region was unchanged since 2022-23. However, there were some changes since pre-pandemic years – for example, there was an increase in owner occupation (from 63% to 67%) and a decrease in private renting (20% to 16%) in Yorkshire and the Humber since 2019-20. Furthermore, London saw an increase in private renting, from 28% to 32% since 2019-20.

In 2023-24, 32% of households in London were private renters, compared to 17% in the rest of England. Similarly, 21% of London households were social renters, compared to 16% in the rest of England. Within the social rented sector, the proportion of households in London (10%) renting from a local authority was higher than the proportion in the rest of England (6%), whereas there are similar proportions of households renting from a housing association in London (11%) compared to the rest of England (10%).

In 2023-24, owner occupation rates were lower in London (47%) than in the rest of England (68%). This disparity is particularly pronounced in the proportion of outright owners in London compared to the rest of England. In London, 22% of households were outright owners, compared to 38% in the rest of England, which could be related to both higher house prices in London, as well as a difference in the age profile of households as reported by the Census 2021, where the median age in London is the lowest in England (35 years). There was also a smaller proportion of mortgagors in London (25%) than in the rest of England (30%).

Figure 1.3: Tenure, London and the Rest of England, 2023-24

^{Base: all households
Notes:
1) underlying data are presented in Annex Table 1.2
Source: English Housing Survey, full household sample}

Demographic and economic characteristics

In this section the demographic and economic profile of the household reference person (HRP) is explored in more detail. The HRP is the ‘householder’ in whose name the accommodation is owned or rented (see the glossary for further information).

Age

In 2023-24, the largest proportion of households had a HRP aged 65 or over (30%), equating to 7.4 million households. There was a small proportion (3%) of households with a HRP in the 16-24 age group and 15% to 18% in each of the middle four age groups (those aged 25 to 64), Annex Table 1.3.

There were large variations in age across tenures. Owner occupiers and those in the social rented sector had the greatest proportion of households with a HRP aged 65 or over (36% and 29% respectively). Among HRPs in the private rented sector only 9% were aged 65 or over. The high proportion of owner occupier HRPs who were aged 65 or over was largely driven by a high proportion of those who also owned their house outright (62%). Conversely, among owner occupiers buying with a mortgage, only 5% were aged 65 or over, with the majority aged between 25 and 64, Annex Table 1.3 and Figure 1.4.   

Figure 1.4: Age of HRP, by tenure, 2023-24

^{Base: all households
Notes:
1) underlying data are presented in Annex Table 1.4
Source: English Housing Survey, full household sample}

Within the social rented sector the proportion of households with a HRP aged 55-64 or over grew from 17% in 2019-20 to 19% in 2023-24. Conversely, among owner occupied households the age profile has trended slightly toward younger HRPs. Just under a tenth (9%) of HRPs in owner occupied households were aged 25-34 in 2019-20, rising to 10% in 2023-24.

We also saw a shift toward younger owner occupiers over a longer period of time. In 2023-24, there was an increase in the proportion of 16–24-year-old HRPs who were owner occupiers (17%) compared to 10 years ago (9%). The proportion of 25–34-year-old HRPs who were owner occupiers (45%) also increased compared to 10 years ago (36%). Conversely, the percentage of 55-64-year-old HRPs who were owner occupiers (71%) decreased from 10 years ago (76%), while concurrently the percentage of 55-64 year old HRPs who were in the private rented sector increased from 8% in 2013-14 to 11% in 2023-24, Annex Table 1.4.

Household type and size

Household type

Single households made up the largest household type in the social rented sector. Households containing one  male (21% of the SRS) and one female (26%) were most common. Conversely, this household type was least common in households buying with a mortgage (one male, 11%, one female 8%). There were some notable differences in the gender profile of single person households across tenure types. Among outright owners, female single person households were more common than male (25% female compared to 16% male). The opposite was true for those in the private rented sectors (20% single male, 13% single female) and those buying with a mortgage (11% male, 8% female), Annex Table 1.3.

There was an increase in the number and proportion of single person households compared to the period before the pandemic. In 2019-20, 13% of all households were occupied by a single male and 15% by a single female, in 2023-24 these figures were 16% (single male) and 18% (single female) respectively. Over the same period, there has been a decrease in the proportion of households occupied by couples, particularly those with dependent children (16% in 2023-34 compared to 18% in 2019-20) and independent children (6% in 2023-34 compared to 5% in 2019-20).

This is a change we noted in previous years, however, we were unable to determine whether this was a real change or the result of differences in the mode of data collection. As we are seeing this pattern even after the return to previous mode and with an increase in the sample size, it appears more likely this is a real change.

Households in the private rented sector (34%) were more likely to have dependent children than households in the social rented sector (30%) in 2023-24. Within owner occupation, those households who owned their home outright were less likely to have dependent children (8%) than those buying with a mortgage (41%), Annex Table 1.5.

Compared to 2022-23 there was an increase in the proportion of outright owners (from 6% to 8%) and private renters (from 30% to 34%) with dependent children. Since 2019-20, the number of social renting households with dependent children decreased from 34% to 30% in 2023-24, Annex Table 1.5.

Household size

In the EHS, household size is measured by the mean number of persons per household. Related to the increase in the proportion of one person households, there has been a significant fall in the mean number of persons per household across all tenures compared to the pre- pandemic period. In 2023-24, the mean number of persons per household was 2.2, lower than in 2019-20 when it was 2.4, Annex Table 1.3.

Mortgagors and private renters had the highest average household size (2.7 and 2.3 persons respectively). These were also the tenures with the youngest age profile. Outright owners had the smallest mean household size, 1.8 persons.

Ethnicity

The proportion of all households with a HRP with an ethnic minority background continues to increase, reflecting the growing diversity of England’s population. In 2023-24, 16% of all households had a HRP from an ethnic minority background, a significant increase from 14% in 2022-23 and 13% prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (2019-20). This increase in ethnic minority HRPs is most pronounced within the private rented sector, which increased from 18% in 2019-20 to 30% in 2023-24, Annex Table 1.3.

Across tenures, households within the private and social rented sectors had the greatest proportion of ethnic minority HRPs (30% and 21% respectively), compared to 11% of owner occupied HRPs. Within the social rented sector, households renting from local authorities were more likely to have a HRP from an ethnic minority background than those renting from a housing association (24% compared to 19%), Annex Table 1.3.

As in previous years, HRPs who owned their home outright were least likely to come from an ethic minority background (7%).

Economic status

In 2023-24, half of all households (50%) had a HRP working full-time, 11% were working part-time and 29% were retired. Around 2% of households were unemployed, 1% were in full-time education and 7% were ‘other inactive’, a group which includes those who had a long-term illness or disability and those who were looking after the family or home, Annex Table 1.3.

There was significant variation by tenure, likely due in part to the different age profile across tenures. The highest proportion of households with a HRP in either full or part-time work were those with a mortgage (93%) and private renters (76%). These were also the tenures with the greatest proportion of working age HRPs. The highest proportion of economically ‘other inactive’ households was in the social rented sector (25%), and the highest proportion of retired HRPs was among those who owned their home outright (62%).

There was a fall in the proportion of households in the social rented sector with a HRP in full-time work, down from 31% in 2019-20 to 27% in 2023-24. This is likely linked to the increasing proportion of households in the social rented sector where the HRP is living with a disability or long term illness (59% in 2023-24 up from 54% in 2019-20), Annex Table 1.3.

Figure 1.5: Economic activity of HRP, by tenure, 2023-24

^{Base: all households
Notes:
1) underlying data are presented in Annex Table 1.3
The full-time education category is not included in this chart due to low sample sizes
Source: English Housing Survey, full household sample}

Income

The EHS reports on income in quintiles, where all households are divided into five equal groups based on their gross household income (i.e. those in the bottom 20%, the next 20% and so on). These can be used to compare income levels of specific groups to the overall population.

In 2023-24, social renters were concentrated in the lowest two income quintiles (47% were in the lowest income quintile and 28% in the second lowest), while mortgagors were concentrated in the two highest income quintiles (39% were in the top income quintile and 28% in the second highest).

Private renters and outright owners were more evenly spread across the quintiles, Figure 1.6.

Figure 1.6: Weekly household income, by tenure, 2023-24

^{Base: all households
Notes:
1) underlying data are presented in Annex Table 1.3
2) first quintile: £85-£372, second: £372-£627, third: £627-£952, fourth: £952-£1,437, fifth: £1,437-£24,014
Source: English Housing Survey, full household sample}

Disability and long-term illness

There was an increase in the proportion of households living with someone with a long-term illness or disability across all tenures, with the exception of those who own their home outright. In 2019-20, 34% of households had someone living with a long-term illness or disability, in 2023-24 this figure had increased to 37%. The biggest increase in long-term illness and disability levels was seen among social renters (up to 59% from 54% in 2019-20) and private renters (30% up from 25%). Levels of disability were lowest among those buying with a mortgage (26%), although this was still an increase on the levels seen in 2019-20 (21%), Annex Table 1.3.

Internet access

The proportion of households with access to the internet continues to increase. In 2019-20, 90% of all households had internet access, in 2023-24 this figure rose to 94%, Annex Table 1.3.

Since 2019-20, the biggest increases in internet access were seen in social rented households, up to 85% in 2023-24 from 79%. Despite this increase, the social rented sector remains the tenure with the lowest levels of internet access and this was particularly true for households renting from a local authority (83% internet access compared to 87% renting from a housing association).

Mortgagers had almost universal levels of internet access (99%), followed closely by private renters (96%), Annex Table 1.3.

Housing Stock Profile

This section relates to physical dwellings and presents figures for ‘2023’. Fieldwork was carried out over two years between April 2022 and March 2024, and the data is weighted to a midpoint of April 2023. Dwellings refer to the physical accommodation that may be shared by several households and can be either occupied or vacant.

Whether a dwelling is vacant is assessed at the time of the interviewer’s visit and full physical inspections of vacant dwellings are later undertaken.  Properties in between lets (‘voids’) and those that are vacant for a longer period are both classified as vacant in the EHS. Multiple measures exist with different definitions and methodologies. More information on this can be found in the article on Comparing empty home statistics in England and Wales.

In 2023, there were an estimated 25.4 million residential dwellings in England, including both occupied and vacant homes. Of these, 16.3 million (64%) were owner occupied, 4.9 million (19%) were private rented, and 4.2 million were social rented (16%). Of the social rented dwellings, 1.6 million (6%) were local authority and 2.6 million (10%) were housing association homes, Figure 1.7 and Annex Table 1.6.

In 2023, there were 1.2 million vacant dwellings, making up 5% of the dwellings in England.  The private rented sector contained 509,000 vacant dwellings (10%), a higher proportion than in the social rented sector (4%,164,000 dwellings) and the owner occupied sector (3%, 479,000 dwellings).

Figure 1.7: Dwellings, by tenure, 2023

^{Base: all dwellings
Notes:
1) underlying data are presented in Annex Table 1.6
Source: English Housing Survey, dwelling sample}

Dwelling age

The age of dwellings in England varied by tenure, with private rented dwellings tending to be older. The proportion of private rented dwellings built pre-1919 was 31% compared to 20% of owner occupied dwellings and 7% of social rented sector dwellings. In contrast, 29% of social rented dwellings were built between 1945 and 1964, whereas only 11% of private rented and 16% of owner occupied dwellings were built during the same period, Figure 1.8 and Annex Table 1.6.

Within the social rented sector, housing association stock tended to be newer. The proportion of housing association dwellings built between 1991-2002 and 2002 onwards (14% and 18%) was higher than local authority dwellings (3% and 4% respectively). However, there was also a greater proportion of housing association stock built pre-1919 (8%) compared to local authority dwellings (4%).

Figure 1.8: Dwelling age, by tenure, 2023

^{Base: all dwellings
Notes:
1) underlying data are presented in Annex Table 1.6
Source: English Housing Survey, dwelling sample}

Dwelling type

Dwelling type, too, varied across tenure. Owner occupied dwellings were most likely to be detached houses (25% of owner occupied homes were detached houses) compared to 5% in the private rented sector and 1% in the social rented sector, Figure 1.9 and Annex Table 1.6.

Homes in the social rented sector were more likely to be low rise purpose built flats (37% of the social rented sector), higher than the private rented sector (25%) and owner occupied dwellings (7%). Local authority dwellings were more likely to be high rise purpose built flats (7%) than housing association dwellings (4%).

Figure 1.9: Dwelling type, by tenure, 2023

^{Base: all dwellings
Notes:
1) underlying data are presented in Annex Table 1.6
2) Dwelling type figures do not match live table DA1101 due to different variable used for bungalows
Source: English Housing Survey, dwelling sample}

Dwelling size

In 2023, the average (mean) usable floor space of all dwellings was 96m². Social rented homes tended to be smaller (66m²) than private rented homes (75m²). Owner occupied homes were larger (110m²) than private and social rented homes, Figure 1.10, Annex Table 1.6.

A quarter of homes in the social sector (25%) had a usable floor space of less than 50m² compared with 19% of private rented and 3% of owner occupied homes. This reflects the predominance of flats in the social sector compared to a higher proportion of houses and bungalows in the private sector, particularly owner occupation.

Figure 1.10: Usable floor area for dwellings, by tenure, 2023

^{Base: all dwellings
Notes:
1) underlying data are presented in Annex Table 1.6
Source: English Housing survey, dwelling sample}

Plots and outside space

The EHS records details relating to the land immediately surrounding a dwelling, referred to as the dwelling’s plot. The plot may be private (exclusive access) or shared with other households. The plot may consist of hard landscaping, soft landscaping, or a combination.  (Hard landscaping refers to concrete, tarmac, paving or gravel. Soft landscaping refers to lawn or flowerbeds).

In 2023, the majority of dwellings in England (82%) had a private plot (for the sole use of the dwelling) and 16% had a shared plot. The proportion of dwellings with no shared or private plot at all decreased from 3% in 2022 to 1% in 2023, Annex Table 1.7 and Figure 1.11.

Dwellings in London were much less likely (61%) than the rest of England (86%) to have a private plot but were more likely (34%) than the rest of England to have access to a shared plot (13%).

Figure 1.11: Presence of plot in dwellings, by dwelling type, tenure and region, 2023

^{Base: all dwellings
Notes:  
1) underlying data are presented in Annex Table 1.7
2) The EHS records details relating to the land immediately surrounding a dwelling, referred to as the dwelling’s plot. The plot may be private (exclusive access) or shared. The plot may consist of hard landscaping, soft landscaping, or a combination.  
Source: English Housing Survey, dwelling sample}

Underlying Data

For data underlying this report, see the Annex tables. For the charts in this report, see Figures.

Technical notes and glossary

For technical information, please see the technical notes.

For a detailed glossary of terms please see the glossary.