Industry News


310,000 children in overcrowded homes forced to share a bed with parents or siblings


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ore than 310,000 children (313,244) in England are forced to share beds with other family members, due to


severe overcrowding, caused by a critical shortage of affordable homes. Tis is according to a report published by the National Housing Federation. Te research, which uncovers the true state of


overcrowding in England, reveals that one in every six children are being forced to live in cramped conditions with no personal space because their family cannot access a suitable and affordable home. Tis equates to two million children from 746,000 families. Te findings also demonstrate structural


inequalities in our society, with households from ethnic minority backgrounds three times more likely to be affected by overcrowding than white households. Families are considered to be overcrowded if


more than two children under the age of 10 are sharing a room, two teenagers of different sexes are sharing a room, or two adults (aged 16 years or over), who are not in a relationship, are sharing a room. Te report includes polling carried out by


Savanta which reveals the detrimental impact that living in overcrowded conditions has on the health, wellbeing and daily lives of those affected. • In just under half (41%) of overcrowded homes, children or teenagers are sharing a bedroom with their parents. Tis could affect more than 300,000 families and half a million children, including 142,000 teenagers;


• A quarter of parents in overcrowded homes are regularly forced to sleep in a living room, bathroom, hallway or kitchen because of the lack of space. Tis affects 180,000 families;


• Parents in more than half (53%) of overcrowded homes worry that their children are too embarrassed to bring friends home. Tis could affect more than one million children;


• In almost half (48%) of overcrowded homes, children struggle to do their homework because of the lack of space. Tis could affect 900,000 children; and


• Over two thirds (70%) of overcrowded families say they have experienced both poor mental and poor physical health as a direct result of overcrowding. Tis could affect over half a million families.


Te leading cause of overcrowding in England is a chronic shortage of social housing. Families already living in social housing are the most likely to be overcrowded as there are no larger social homes available for them to move to and they cannot afford any other type of home. Tey make up around half (48%) of all overcrowded families. Families on low incomes who cannot access a


social home are forced to rent privately, where rents can be more than double that of social housing, meaning many cannot afford a suitable sized home. A third (33%) of overcrowded families live in private rented homes. In 2010 the Coalition Government cut


funding for affordable housing by 63%, the biggest cut to any capital budget at the time. It also cut all funding for new homes at social rents. Tis led to a rapid decline in the number of new social homes being built, thereby intensifying an already existing shortage. In recent years the Government has allowed grant funding to be used to build homes for social


rent, funding remains at historically low levels. Last year only 6,554 social rent homes last year were built, 81% fewer than in 2010. Tere are now 4.2 million people in need of


social housing in England, including those in overcrowded, unaffordable and unsuitable homes, and homeless people. Research by the National Housing Federation and Crisis shows 90,000 homes for social rent need to be built in England each year to meet existing demand and house all those in need. Te National Housing Federation is calling for a


long term, national plan for meeting housing need, with the aim of driving a drastic increase in the number of affordable homes over the next decade. Kate Henderson, chief executive at the


National Housing Federation said: “Our homes are meant to be places of comfort, safety and security. For children growing up in overcrowded homes they instead become chaotic and stressful environments with little personal space or privacy. Tis can have a devastating impact on a child’s self-esteem, wellbeing, and future life changes, as well as affecting family relationships and making it harder for parents to nurture their child’s growth.” “Every child deserves the right to have a home


that is suitable for their needs and allows them to grow as individuals. Overcrowding is a direct result of our broken housing system, caused by underfunding by successive governments and a failure to prioritise building new homes for people on low incomes. As a country, we are failing these families and these children and this must stop. We need an urgent, long term, national plan aimed at drastically increasing the number of affordable and social homes across England.”


Average monthly rent outside London now more than £1,000, says agency


Te average new monthly rent outside London has passed £1,000 for the first time, latest figures show, with private tenants now typically paying 25% more than they were at the start of the Covid pandemic. Te estate agent Hamptons, which issued the


data, warned that the rate of rent rises was “unlikely to slow due to the number of landlords looking to pass on their rising costs” and this may force some tenants to downsize or relocate to cheaper areas. Many landlords with buy-to-let mortgages


have seen their costs rise sharply aſter a series of interest rate rises and the chaos of last autumn’s


mini-budget. Te average rent on a newly let home outside the


capital rose to £1,002 a month in April, according to Hamptons, which was 7.8%, or £72, higher than the figure a year earlier. Meanwhile, the London rental market is


continuing to speed ahead of the rest of the country: annual rental growth in the capital was running well ahead of inflation at 17.2%, said the firm, with the average monthly bill passing £2,200 for the first time last month. Tat would cost the average tenant moving into a new home an extra £3,895 a year.


6 | HMMJune/July 2023 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


Across Great Britain as a whole, the average


monthly rent rose 11.1% year-on-year in April to reach a new high of £1,249 – the second-highest figure for rental growth across the country on record. Overall, rents across the country have leapt 25% since the eve of the pandemic. Hamptons said that in February 2013, when


it launched its lettings index, the average tenant who moved into a new home outside London paid £677 a month – £325 less than in April 2023. Tat represents a 48% increase in a decade. Aneisha Beveridge, the firm’s head of


research, said: “Affordability constraints will likely hit the brakes on rental growth at some point this year; however, it’s unlikely to slow considerably due to the number of landlords looking to pass on their rising costs.”


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