Five takeaways about the severity of our housing crisis

1. Did you know homes in England are more likely to have mould than a large screen TV?

Six million homes in England have issues with condensation, damp, and mould, whilst an estimated 5 million have TVs with screens larger than 50 inches.  Ageing Better’s new Homes chapter of their flagship State of Ageing 2025 report reveals the sad reality that these poor-quality homes make up a quarter of the homes in our country.

Older people and children are most vulnerable to the health consequences of living in a damp, cold, hazardous home. This includes respiratory conditions such as asthma, heart conditions, and falls that can have life-changing consequences.  

Four out of five of the homes that will exist in 2050 have already been built. If the government does not invest in our existing housing stock, its condition and quality will only deteriorate further and leave even more people living in homes that endanger their health and wellbeing. Everything starts at home; our homes are the foundation for a good life, and we need to ensure that the homes in the country meet current and future needs. 

2. Up to 13 million Disabled people are having their needs unmet by shortage of accessible homes

The gap between the number of Disabled people and the number of accessible homes in England has risen from 10.5 million in 2009 to 12.8 million in 2022. This creates an accessibility gap where millions of people are living in unsafe homes that limit their independence and present significant barriers to their everyday living. 

There are several factors that will drive this growth in demand even further in the future if current trends continue. This includes our population ageing, the continued growth of the Disabled population, and the declining rate of healthy life expectancy in England.

With 1.5 million new homes scheduled to be built before 2030, it is imperative that they are built to higher accessibility and adaptability standards to meet the needs of the population.

3. Almost one in three people living in unsafe homes are aged 55 or over

Around 3.5 million homes in England (14%) are defined as non-decent, meaning 7.5 million people live in homes that put their health and wellbeing at risk. Non-decent homes are those with hazards or which pose an immediate threat to someone’s health, that are not in a reasonable state of repair, are lacking modern facilities, or are not effectively insulated or heated.  

Older people are some of the most affected by poor quality homes. Older people  account for 2.3 million of the 7.5 million people living in cold, damp, and unsafe homes. The link between homes and health is often overlooked in government policy but we cannot hope to raise levels of health in this country without improving quality of housing.  

Unsafe homes can have a serious impact on people’s physical health and mental wellbeing, leading to further strain placed on public services such as health and social care. Reducing the demand on healthcare services through preventive measures, including home adaptations, is crucial to managing waiting lists and improving public health, whilst saving public money.  

We could save the NHS nearly £600 million per year by removing the most serious risks to people’s health and safety in the country’s poorest quality homes where the household is aged 55 or over. 

4. Older people can be up to six times less likely to find an accessible home that meets their needs in some parts of the country compared to others

Finding an accessible home is currently a postcode lottery. Homes in London are more than twice as likely (17%) to have all four minimum accessibility features that allow them to be visited by a Disabled person than in the West Midlands, where fewer than one in ten (8%) homes have these features.

This impacts older people significantly, with older people living in the North East or the East Midlands are six times less likely to be living in a fully accessible home compared to people in London. In the North East or East Midlands, only one in 25 homes (4%) headed by someone aged between 55 and 64 have all four accessibility features.

The standards of decency for homes are also influenced by location. The State of Ageing reveals shocking data about the decency of homes owned by people aged 55 and over. In the East Midlands, more than one in five 21%) owner-occupiers in this age group live in homes that do not meet decency standards, double the proportion seen in London (10%).  

The population age profile varies considerably according to where people live – the lowest median age of 31 is seen in Manchester while the highest median age of 56 is seen in North Norfolk – a gap of 25 years. But the older population may not be distributed evenly within local authorities, so even younger places may have neighbourhoods with a high percentage of older people – for example, the percentage of people aged 50 and over ranges from 7% to 33% in different wards of Manchester.  

5. Almost one in five people aged 50 and over who own their homes outright are living in poverty

Contrary to common narratives about wealthy homeowners, home ownership is not a guarantee of financial security.  Almost one in five owner-occupied homes headed by someone aged 50 or older are in poverty - a total of 2.3 million homeowners in this age group.

As our population continues to age, we cannot allow more older people to be swept up into poverty. For many people, whether they are homeowners or not, the key barrier to making the changes needed in their homes is money – having the income or savings to pay for repairs or adaptations, or access to a loan. For others, practical obstacles get in the way, such as finding a trusted trader, getting an assessment of work needed, or even moving furniture around. The key to improving people’s homes is through access to easy-to-use one-stop-shops for information and support. We call these Good Home Hubs.  

The older population is predicted to increase at the fastest rate of any age group. By 2050 - in just 15 years' time - over one in four people will be 65 or over. We must improve the state of our homes so that everyone has a decent place to live as they grow older.