Homes | The State of Ageing 2025

What do the charts show?

• There are 3.5 million non-decent homes of all tenures in England and 2.1 million of these are owner-occupied.  
• Of owner-occupied homes headed by someone aged 55 and over, 15% are non-decent (a total of ​​​​​​1.3 million homes).  
• ​​​I​​n the ​​private rented sector, the proportion of non-decent homes increases with ​​age of the household head from the age of 55. Levels reach more than a quarter (27%) when the household head is aged 75 and over. Almost ​​​​200,000 privately rented homes headed by someone aged 55 and over are non-decent.  
• O​​f homes in the social rented sector headed by someone aged 55 and over, more than one in ten (11%) are non-decent (a total of ​​​​213,000 homes).  

We also know that:

• ​​​​​Of the 2.3 million people aged 55 and over living in a non-decent home:
  • half a million are living in poverty
  • more than half (1.2 million) are living in a household where at least one person is disabled or has a long-term illness
  • 159,000 are living in a household where at least one person uses a wheelchair
  • 1.9 million (79%) are homeowners and 250,000 (11%) are private renters.  
• Given that the majority of older people own their homes ​​(76% of households headed by someone aged 55 and over are owner-occupied – a total of 8.7 million homes), the highest number of non-decent homes lived in by older people are owner-occupied (even if the proportion is highest in the private rented sector).  
• ​​​More than one in five (21%) homeowners aged 55 and over in the poorest 20% of the household income distribution are living in a non-decent home, compared with half that (11%) in the richest 20%.  
• ​​​More than a quarter (26%) of privately rented homes headed by someone aged 55 and over in the poorest 20% of the household income distribution are non-decent compared with fewer than one in ten (8%) in the richest 20%.  

What do the charts show?  

• A high proportion of homes of all tenures headed by someone aged 55 and over are non-decent, and this proportion varies across England:
  • The percentage in the owner-occupied sector ranges from one in ten (10%) in London to twice that (21%) in the East Midlands.  
  • In the social rented sector, the proportion ranges from fewer than one in ten (7%) in the South East to almost one in five (17%) in the South West.
  • By far the highest prevalence of non-decent homes is in the private rented sector, with rates ranging from 17% in the South East and East Midlands to 42% in the South West.
  • Only in the East Midlands is the prevalence of non-decent homes in the owner-occupied sector (21%) higher than in the private rented sector (17%).  
  • Regional patterns of non-decency are different for each tenure type but the South West has the highest prevalence of non-decent homes in its social and private rented sector (17% and 42% respectively) and the second highest prevalence in the owner-occupied sector (18%).

We also know that:

• Our analysis of data from the English Housing Survey (see our technical report for more details) shows that:
  • The largest number of non-decent homes is in the North West (652,000).  
  • Almost one in five (19.3%) homes in the North West are non-decent compared with just one in ten in London and the South East (10% and 10.8% respectively).  
  • The highest number of non-decent, owner-occupied homes headed by someone aged 55 and over is in the North West (212,000), followed by the South West (195,000), the South East (184,000), the East Midlands (176,000)​,​ and Yorkshire and the Humber (162,000).
• Poor-quality homes are clustered regionally as a result of national government and business investment decisions, as well as the ability of residents to afford to maintain their homes. This, in turn, is linked to ​levels of unemployment and low-paid jobs in certain parts of the country.  
• Rural areas are more likely to have higher proportions of non-decent homes because properties are often older, which means they are more likely to be hazardous, less energy efficient and in a greater state of disrepair. 

What do the charts show?

• Where the household head is younger than 75, the highest prevalence of condensation, damp or mould is in the social rented sector: a third (33%) of such homes headed by someone aged 55 to 64 and more than a quarter (27%) headed by someone aged 65 to 74 have condensation, damp or mould.
• The proportion of homes (all tenures) that have problems with condensation, damp or mould ​​​​​​decreases with age of the head of household, from almost a quarter (23%) of homes headed by someone aged 55 to 64 to 12% headed by someone aged 75 and over.
• Though the prevalence is lowest in the owner-occupied sector, it is still the case that one in five home-owners aged 55 to 64 (20%) and about one in ten aged 65 and over report problems with condensation, damp or mould.  
• The prevalence of condensation, damp or mould is strongly associated with household income for household heads aged 55 to 64 (29% in the poorest compared with 17% in the richest fifth of the income distribution). This association becomes less pronounced with age, so that it ranges from 9% to 14% across the five quintiles of the household income distribution for household heads aged 75 and over.  
• Of note, data on condensation, damp or mould are based on self-reporting so the data presented may reflect under-reporting on the part of older householders who may have had experience of living in homes without central heating. 

What do the charts ​​show?

• The proportion of ​​homes in England with reported problems with condensation, damp or mould varies by region but ​​​​the regional pattern is different for different age groups: 
  • Where the household head is aged 55 to 64 the proportion of homes with condensation, damp or mould is at least one in five ​(20%) ​in every region in England except for the East Midlands where it is a little lower, at 18%. 
  • For the age bands shown, the highest proportion of homes with condensation, damp or mould (28%) is in homes headed by someone aged 55 to 64 in London. The lowest proportion (6%) is in homes headed by someone aged 75 and over in the South East​.​
  • The South East is the region with the largest difference by age: here, a quarter (24%) of homes with a household head aged 55 to 64 have condensation, damp or mould, 18 percentage points higher than for homes in this region with a household head aged 75 and over.  
  • The region with the smallest difference is the North East where the proportions are 23% (household heads age​d​ 55 to 64) and 19% (household heads aged 75 and over), a gap of 4 percentage points.  

We also know that:

• After decades of failure to invest in our housing stock, the UK now has amongst the leakiest and draughtiest homes in Europe. The UK has the oldest housing stock in Europe, with 38% of its homes dating from before 1946, meaning that without targeted investment, the quality will continue to deteriorate.
• The ​​data reflect​s​ people’s experiences of living in older ​​​​properties, with the highest levels of condensation, damp or mould in properties that were built pre-1919 (see our technical report for more details).  
• The UK has more excess winter deaths* than many of the colder countries in Europe due to the relatively poor​ ​quality of our homes (*the number of deaths that occur during the winter compared ​with​ the average of non-winter periods).  ​Pre-COVID, respiratory conditions were the leading cause of excess winter deaths, followed by cardiovascular disease.

What do the charts show?

• ​​​Though the proportion of homes with all four accessibility features has increased over time for every age group (age of household head) and in every tenure type, it is still ​true​ that this was the case for just 13% of all homes in 2022.
• The highest level of accessibility is seen for younger household heads: 15% of homes headed by someone aged 54 or under compared with between 9% and 11% in age groups older than 55.
• Across tenure types, it is the s​​ocial rented sector that has the highest proportion of accessible homes (one in five of all homes and ​also ​​​​​one in five​ ​where the household head is aged 55 and over).  
• The owner-occupied sector has the lowest proportion of accessible homes: just one in ten of all owner-occupied homes have all four accessibility features​.​​ ​​T​his proportion drops to 8% when considering households headed by someone aged 55 and over.
• The tenure type with the largest increase in the ​​proportion of accessible homes since 2009 is the social rented sector (a​n increase of 10 percentage points​). However, when the household head is aged 75 and over​,​ the proportion of homes in this sector that have all four accessibility features has declined by two percentage points to 18% since 2018.  
• The proportion of privately rented homes headed by someone aged 55 and over that are accessible has also increased by ten percentage points (from 5% to 15%) since 2009. ​That of owner-occupied homes headed by someone aged 55 and over has only increased by five percentage points (from 3% to 8%). 

What does the chart show?

• The highest percentage of homes with all four accessibility features is in London (17%; presumably because of the high number of flats) and the lowest is in the West Midlands and the North West where fewer than one in ten homes (8%) have all four accessibility features.

We also know that:

• ​​​​​​​The London Plan, which aims to address the city's housing shortage by guiding development towards more homes, requires that all dwellings meet Building Regulation requirement M4(2) 'accessible and adaptable dwellings'. The policy applies throughout London and may account for the fact that the number of accessible homes is much higher in London.

Our analysis of data from the English Housing ​S​urvey (see our technical report for more details) also shows that:

• Where homes have a household head aged 75 and over and a ​D​isabled person whose mobility is highly limited, just 15% have all four accessibility features.
• Fewer than half (46%) of homes occupied by someone who needs a wheelchair all the time have all four accessibility features​.​ ​T​he percentage is ​less​ than one in five (17%) for homes occupied by someone who only needs a wheelchair outside their property.  
• In England as a whole, younger people in general are more likely to live in accessible homes despite disability increasing with age. This could be because younger people are more likely to be living in flats, which are more likely to have been designed with accessibility in mind compared with older properties. For homes with a household head aged 54 and under, 15% have all four accessibility features, compared with 11% of homes where the household head is aged 55 to 64 or 75 and over, and 9% of homes where the household head is aged 65 to 74.  
• In every age group, social rented housing has the highest proportion of accessible homes because some will have been built to meet the needs of ​D​isabled ​​people and because they are commonly flats. For example, almost a quarter (23%) of social rented homes where the household head is aged 55 to 64 are accessible​,​ compared with 18% of privately rented homes and just 7% of owner-occupied homes with a household head in this age group.  
• The owner-occupied sector has the lowest percentage of accessible homes where the household head is aged 55 and over – between 7% and 9% of these homes are accessible. In contrast, 14% of homes owned by someone aged 54 and under are accessible.
• ​​​More than a quarter of homes (27%) with a household head aged 75 and over from an ethnic minority background have all four accessibility features, compared with one in ten for people aged 75 and over from a White background. This may reflect the higher prevalence of poor health and disability among older ethnic minority people and the higher likelihood of them living in social ​​housing. It also likely reflects ​the​​ fact that older people from ethnic minority backgrounds are most likely to live in urban centres and hence in flats.  

What does the chart show?

• While just 2% of home-owners aged 55 and over from White backgrounds are dissatisfied with their home, this increases to 6% of Asian people and 15% of Black people.
• However, in the social rented sector, there is little difference between ethnic groups (12% to 14%) in the likelihood of being dissatisfied. 

We also know that:

• ​​​The available data for the private rented sector permits a comparison of people from a White background and a combined minority ethnic group. This shows that 5% of White people aged 55 and over who are privately renting are dissatisfied with their accommodation compared with 14% of those from a minority ethnic background. There are likely to be differences between individual ethnic groups within the combined category.
• ​​​45% of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic households have one or more housing problem​​s​​, compared with 29% of White households.​​  
• While 5% of the total population aged 50 and over in England lives in a household that is deprived in the housing dimension (that is, it is either overcrowded, in a shared dwelling, or has no central heating), this rises to 19% of people aged 50 and over from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.
• ​​9% of Black-led households​ are living with damp problems, compared with 4% of White-led households.
• A disproportionate number of Black, Asian ​​and Minority Ethnic people rely heavily on the private ​rented​ sector, due to historic and systemic racism.  
• ​​​Pakistani and Bangladeshi households are almost five times more likely to have affordability problems than White British households, ​​meaning less money can be spent on energy bills to heat a home. 

What does the chart show?

• When there is someone in the household with long-term illness or disability, the likelihood of being dissatisfied with the home is higher than when there isn’t. This is the case for all three tenure types and for household heads of all ages. This highlights the unsuitability of our housing stock for people with disability (though it​ i​s important to note that disability may include ​​mental, cognitive or sensory disabilities that are unlikely to be associated with any accessibility requirements).
• Whether or not there is someone in the household with long-term illness or disability, the proportion of households who are dissatisfied with their accommodation is highest in the social rented sector and lowest in the owner-occupied sector except when there is someone in the household with long-term illness or disability and the household head is aged 75 and over. In this case, the likelihood of being dissatisfied is highest in the private rented sector (12%) and lowest in the social rented (​​3%).  
• When there is no​ ​one in the household with long-term illness or disability, the proportion of households who are dissatisfied with their accommodation declines with age of the household head. 

We also know that:

• The likelihood of a home having all four basic accessibility is highest in the social rented sector (see Chart 4.05b).  
• The proportion of people with a disabling condition that limits them a lot increases with age.
• ​​P​eople living in the most deprived areas are not only more likely than people living in the least deprived areas to have a disabling condition, they are also more likely to be limited in their ability to carry out day-to-day activities by any disabling condition they do have.
• This may explain why dissatisfaction among the oldest age group is lowest in homes in the social rented sector that are most likely to be accessible.  
• It may also lie behind the observation that rates of dissatisfaction among people aged 75 and over are actually lower in the social rented sector when there is someone in the household with a long-term illness or disability (3% are dissatisfied) than when there is no​ ​one in the household with long-term illness or disability (4%).  

What do the charts show?

• Almost a quarter of a million (240,000) homeowners aged 54 and under whose home is non-decent are experiencing high or very high levels of anxiety.  
• The number of homeowners aged 55 and over whose home is non-decent and are experiencing high or very high levels of anxiety is almost twice as high (422,000) as for homeowners 54 and under, consistent with the fact that the majority of older people are owner-occupiers.
• Of those 422,000 homeowners aged 55 and over who are living in a non-decent home and are anxious, the number with very high levels of anxiety is twice as high as the number with high levels of anxiety (270,000 compared with 152,000).
• Of household heads aged 54 and under who are living in a non-decent home and have high or very high levels of anxiety, the number is higher among private renters compared with homeowners (271,000 compared with 240,000).
• Among both age groups (54 and under and 55 and over) living in non-decent homes, the highest prevalence of anxiety is in the social rented sector.
• The prevalence of very high levels of anxiety is substantially higher than high levels of anxiety in both age groups and all three tenures.
  • More than a third (36%) of homeowners aged 55 and over whose homes are non-decent have high or very high levels of anxiety. This increases to two in five (40%) household heads aged 55 and over in the private rented sector and almost half (47%) in the social rented sector.

​​​We also know that:

• As well as a clear, evidenced link between people’s mental health and their living situation, a non-decent home can also have an impact on physical health.  
• In England, 4.5 million people aged 50 and over with a health condition aggravated by substandard housing are living in a home with one or more serious problems​. This includes ​2.8 million people aged 50 to 70 and 1.7 million people aged 70 and over.  
• Non-decent homes have a disproportionate impact on the physical health of people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds as well as people living in London or with a serious health condition or disability.
• It has also been shown that cold homes have significant potential mental, as well as physical, health consequences.  

What does the chart show?

• After housing costs, 5.2 million people aged 50 and over ​(26%) ​are living in poverty.  
  • Poverty rates among people aged 50 and over range from almost one in five (19%) of those who own their homes outright to almost half (46%) of those renting (either private or social renting).  
  • Home ownership is the most common tenancy type among older people in England, so it is unsurprising that the number of people aged 50 and over in poverty is by far the highest for owner​-​occupiers (data not shown). Of people aged 50 and over, 2.3 million who own outright, 1 million who own with a mortgage, 1.75 million who rent and 71,000 who live rent-free are living in poverty.  

We also know ​​that:

• Among people aged 50 and over, certain groups are more likely to be living in poverty:
  • 30% of women compared ​with​​ ​21% of men
  • 39% of people from Black, Asian ​​and Minority Ethnic groups compared ​with​​ ​25% of White people
  • 32% of those living in London or the North East compared ​with​ 21% in the South East
  • 36% of those with a long-term health condition or disability compared ​with 24% of those without.
• ​​​Private renters spend a significant amount of their weekly household income on rent. Those aged 54 and under spend the largest proportion​,​ with 41% spent on rent even when any additional financial housing support is included. For people aged 55 and above, the proportion is 32 to 33%​​.  
• ​​​The largest proportion of weekly income spent on rent is ​i​n London (50%). For people aged 55 and over, it is still the region where the largest proportion of weekly income is spent on rent (44%)​.​ The lowest proportion for people 55 and over is in the West Midlands (​​21%).