An analysis of the most recent data shows that households in the social housing sector are older, smaller and more British than people might expect

Who lives in the 4.1m social homes in England and Wales?

The people who live in the 4.1m social homes in England and Wales are as unique and individual as people in the private rented sector. But by scrutinising the most recent household data certain trends in demographics emerge.

How big are most households?

Among those households in socially rented homes:

2.2 million rent from local authorities

1.9 million from other social landlords (mainly housing associations)



Almost half of social homes are occupied by only one person, and only a quarter have two residents:

43% are one-person households

32% have more than two residents



This is partly down to the high number of retired people living in social housing, especially in supported accommodation.

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How many tenants are in work?

Only 8% of social renters are unemployed, similar to the number found in private renting (6%). But in terms of economic activity, the difference in employment status between owner-occupiers with mortgages and social renters is stark.

92% of owner-occupiers with mortgages are in employment

41% of social renters are employed

But the reasons for the disparity aren’t immediately obvious:

Half of economically inactive social renters are retired

The remaining renters are full-time carers, or long-term sick or disabled

How old are they?

People in social housing are considerably older than the people in the private rented sector:

28% of social tenants are over 65, compared with 8% of private renters

Only 25% of social renters are under 45, in contrast to 70% of private tenants

Five times as many people over the age of 75 rent in the social, rather than private, sector

Are they coupled up or single?

People living in social housing are more likely to live alone, and more likely to be single parents:

33% of people in social housing are married or cohabiting, compared to 48% in private lets

17% of households in the social sector are headed by lone parents, compared with 14% comprising couples with children

Five times as many social tenants are widowed as private tenants, reflecting the older age of most council and housing association households

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How much do they pay?

The average rent for social and “affordable” rent (80% of local market rent) properties varies considerably:

The median social rent property in England is £82 per week, while the “affordable” rent median is £112

In London, the average social rent per week is £108, but £177 for an “affordable” property

The biggest disparity between rents is for two-bedroom properties, at an average of £103 per week for local authority homes in London, but £183 for an identical property under “affordable” rent

Where do they come from?

Contrary to tabloid headlines, social homes aren’t meted out to new migrants and asylum seekers over British nationals:

93% of all new social lets between 2007 and 2015 were to British nationals



3% of new allocations were to households from new European Economic Area countries, including Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia

3% were let to people from all other countries

How many claim housing benefit?

The number of housing benefit claimants in social housing, including local authorities and housing association homes, has changed little since the recession, hovering around the 3.3 million mark for over five years. The big increase in welfare spending has been in private accommodation, with the number of people claiming housing benefit or local housing allowance in private homes doubling in ten years.





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