Headline findings from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's (MHCLG's) latest English Housing Survey highlight persistent challenges such as overcrowding, damp and the prevalence of Category 1 hazards, alongside long‑term improvements in energy efficiency.
The findings are divided into two tranches.
- The first collection covers demographics, household resilience, costs and affordability, and well-being.
- The second collection on housing quality and energy efficiency covers smart meters, electricity payment methods and domestic energy improvement costs.
Taken together, these insights provide useful evidence to inform policy decisions, guide investment planning and support practitioners working to improve the quality and sustainability of national housing stock.
What is the English Housing Survey?
The English Housing Survey is a continuous national survey that provides detailed information about people's housing circumstances as well as the condition and energy efficiency of homes in England.
The survey has two main components:
- a household interview covering demographics, housing experiences, costs and tenure and
- a physical inspection of a subsample of properties to assess building condition, safety and energy performance.
The survey datasets are available from the UK Data Service for those who would like to undertake secondary analysis.
Ongoing issues with occupancy and quality
The latest survey reports overcrowding in 3% and under-occupation in 40% of households, when considering the bedroom standard.
Overcrowding has increased from 6% to 9% in the social rented sector and from 5% to 6% in the private rented sector over the past decade. In contrast, owner‑occupied homes experienced a reduction in overcrowding alongside a rise in under‑occupation.
These trends indicate growing pressure on rented stock and continuing demand for assessments relating to space optimisation and suitability.
The findings also show that 15% of dwellings – approximately 4m homes – failed to meet the Decent Homes Standard, a figure almost unchanged since 2022.
The data indicated notable regional variation, with improvements recorded in housing association and private rented dwellings in the North West, while deterioration occurred in both owner‑occupied and private rented dwellings in the South East.
These shifts highlight the need for careful attention to evolving regional quality patterns when advising on compliance and planned maintenance.
Health and safety: Category 1 hazards persist
The findings reinforce the value of thorough housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS) assessments, particularly for void properties and older stock.
According to the survey, 9% of all dwellings contained at least one HHSRS Category 1 hazard, a similar level to that recorded in 2022. Private rented and owner‑occupied dwellings were found to have comparable hazard rates of between 9% and 10%, respectively, which marks a narrowing of the previous disparity between the two sectors.
Within the social sector, local authority dwellings (6%) exhibited a higher prevalence of hazards than housing association homes (4%). Meanwhile, vacant owner‑occupied homes (33%) were significantly more likely to contain hazards than homes owned with a mortgage (8%) or outright (9%).
The survey records that 1.4m dwellings (5%) had a problem with damp in 2024, representing a 1% increase compared with 2022.
Damp was most prevalent in the private rented sector, where it affected 10% of homes, compared with 4% of owner‑occupied dwellings and 7% of those in the social rented sector. Local authority stock was more likely to suffer from damp than housing association stock.
The survey further notes statistically significant increases in damp in both the owner‑occupied and social rented sectors. Rising damp and mould issues therefore continue to demand targeted remediation, particularly in older and rented properties.
Encouraging progress in domestic energy performance
Alongside the headline findings focusing primarily on housing quality and safety, supplementary material showed continued improvement in domestic energy efficiency, despite national pressures from inflation and rising energy and renovation costs.
The data indicates that average Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) ratings have risen across most tenures over the past decade, with owner‑occupied and private rented homes seeing the greatest gains, both increasing seven points since 2014.
In the social rented sector, average SAP scores for local authority homes increased from 66 in 2014 to 71 in 2024, while housing association properties saw a similar uplift from 67 to 72 over the same period.
Energy performance certificate (EPC) data for England and Wales indicates that between March 2015 and March 2025, the median EPC score for England was 69 (Band C) and the median EPC score for Wales was 68 (Band D).
London, East of England and the South East recorded the highest median EPC score in the English regions at 70 (Band C), while Yorkshire and The Humber had the lowest median EPC score at 68 (Band D).
Energy efficiency in new dwellings has also improved, with median EPC scores rising from 82 to 84 in England and from 81 to 84 in Wales between the five‑year periods ending March 2013 and March 2025.
Ultimately, the improvement in domestic energy performance underscores the importance of expert guidance on retrofitting, EPC improvement planning and investment strategies aligned with decarbonisation goals.
MHCLG is expected to release more detailed topic reports based on its findings later this year.
Adam Bell is residential editor of RICS Property Journal
Contact Adam: Email | LinkedIn
Related competencies include: Housing maintenance, repairs and improvements, Housing management and policy
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