Report says funding to repair hazards would be paid back in eight years in NHS savings

More than 2 million people aged over 55 live in homes that endanger their health, according to a report, with older homeowners who cannot afford to maintain their home most at risk.

Accidents and illnesses caused by dangerous homes cost the NHS £1.4bn a year, according to Home and Dry, a report by the Centre for Ageing Better and Care & Repair England based on analysis of the English Household Survey.

“The NHS spends £513m on emergency treatment for people aged over 55 who live in the poorest-quality housing and have suffered incidents linked to non-decent homes, including falls and health problems exacerbated by cold homes,” said Anna Dixon, the chief executive at the Centre for Ageing Better.

The average non-decent home could be brought up to a decent standard for £2,866. A third of homes could be repaired for less than £1,000. But previous funding to address the problem has been withdrawn, the report says.

Geoff, 58, suffers from a recurring depressive disorder. When he was referred to the Home Improvement Agency, he was living in “deplorable conditions”. “There was a hole in my roof letting in both rainwater and pigeons,” he said. “My central heating boiler was broken. I was living in one very small room in my leasehold flat.

“This was having a detrimental effect on my mental health, in addition to the physical health impacts of the poor state of the property,” he said. The Home Improvement Agency negotiated an agreement for the works to be completed and helped him apply for a local authority grant.

“These repairs have enabled me to continue living independently at home,” he said. “My physical and mental health have improved as a result.”

The report says more than 4.3m homes do not meet basic standards of decency, most commonly because of the presence of a serious hazard to the occupants’ health or safety.

Almost half of these homes are lived in by someone over 55 years old. One million of them are home to at least one child. At least 20% of all homes in the private rented sector are non-decent.

“After decades of year-on-year decreases in the number of non-decent homes in England, the rate of improvement is stalling for all ages,” said Dixon. “In the case of households headed by someone aged over 75 years old, the trend has actually reversed: more than one in five elderly people live in a dangerous home, more than any other age group.”

More than a million over-55s live in a home that poses a serious risk to their health, most commonly through excess cold or a fall hazard. Two million households are headed by someone aged 65 and over who finds it difficult to heat their homes.

Sue Adams, the chief executive of Care & Repair England, said: “An investment of £4.3bn to repair hazards for households headed by those aged over 55 would be paid back in just eight years through savings to the NHS.”

Duncan Selbie, the chief executive at Public Health England, said: “A cold, hazardous home is a serious risk to a person’s health and can cause or worsen a large number of health conditions … The implications are wide-ranging: from life-changing and potentially fatal consequences to ongoing, avoidable demand on the NHS and other public services.”

A government spokesperson said: “The government has invested more than £4bn in helping people live independently and safely in their homes. The government’s national planning policy framework also makes clear that councils must take older people’s needs into account when planning for housing.”