Survey findings – 84% of private tenants are satisfied

Housing Survey:

The recently published English Housing Survey (EHS) for 2017-18 reports that private tenants in England are satisfied or very satisfied with their rented accommodation and the way they were being treated with their landlord or agent.

This is a national survey of people’s housing circumstances and the condition and energy efficiency of housing in England. It is perhaps the most comprehensive, credible and longest standing housing survey available, first run in 1967.

Some Statistics and Findings:

Aroundone-in-five
households (20%) in England live in the private rented sector, making renting
the second largest tenure after home ownership (64% or 14.8 million), with social
housing (17% or 4.0 million) lower than the private sector – 4.5 million
households now live in the private rented sector in England.

The majority (84%)
of private tenants report that they are satisfied or very satisfied with their current
accommodation, which compares to 95% of owner occupiers.

In comparison to social
renters and owner occupiers, private renters spend the highest proportion of
their income on housing. Despite this, the majority said they found it easy to
pay their rent.

On average, private
renters spent a third (33%) of their household income (including Housing
Benefit) on rent. This is compares to 28% for social renters, and 17% for
mortgage payers.

The proportion of
household income spent on rent was higher for private renters in London, on
average 42%, than for the rest of England averaging 30%.

Most private renters
(71%) said they found it easy or very easy to pay their rent.

One fifth of private
renters (20%) were receiving Housing Benefit (HB) and for most recipients (85%)
said that the HB does not cover their whole rent.

Around three
quarters (76%) of private renters paid a deposit at the start of their current
tenancy, and most deposits paid were equivalent to the value of four or more
weeks’ rent.

Around three
quarters (73%) of deposit payers said they knew their deposit had been
protected in one of the Government authorised tenancy deposit protection
schemes, whereas 20% did not know.

Most private rented
sector tenancies ended because the tenant/s wanted to move out.

Of those who had
lived in their current home for less than three years, 72% moved house because
they wanted to. The main reasons for moving in the past three years were job
related (18% of moves), moving to a better neighbourhood (16%) and moves to a
larger home (13%).

Of those who did not
move solely by choice, reasons included:

• move instigated
  by a landlord (12%),
• moving
  on mutual agreement with a landlord (10%),
• moving at
  the end of a fixed term tenancy (8%).

Nearly two thirds of
private renters (63%) reported having no savings. Just over a third (37%) of
private renters reported having some savings. 11% had savings of £16,000 or
more.

More than half of
private renters (58%) thought they would eventually buy a home. A sizeable
proportion of those who expected to buy did not currently have any savings.

Over half (58%) of
private renters thought they would eventually buy a home. Younger renters were
more likely to think they would eventually become home owners. 77% of those aged
16 to 24 thought they would buy, compared with 40% of those aged 45 to 64.

Of the 42% of
private renters who did not think they would eventually buy a home, most (68%)
said this was because they could not afford to do so.

There was no
apparent link between those who thought they would eventually buy a home, and
those who had substantial savings that could go towards a deposit: 12% of those
who eventually planned to buy had substantial savings of £16,000 or more.
Overall 42% of those who intend to buy had some savings.

Despite improvement
over time, privately rented homes were more likely to have indicators of poorer
housing quality and safety than other tenures.

The private rented
sector had the highest proportion of non-decent homes. In this 2017-18 survey,
25% of homes in the private rented sector were non-decent according to the
Decent Homes Standard. This is compares with 19% of owner occupied homes, and
13% of socially rented homes.

According to the
Housing Health and Safety Rating System, 14% of privately rented homes have at
least one Category 1 hazard, compared with 11% of owner occupied homes, and 6%
of those in the social rented sector.

Private renters were younger than those in other tenures.
The average age of private renters was 40 years, compared with 53 years for
social renters and 57 years for owner occupiers.

In 2017-18, 68% of main tenants in privately rented
households were under 45 years, compared with 35% of social renters and 24% of
owner occupiers.

Read the full report here

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