England’s housing stock has grown by 9% in the last decade to 25.4 million dwellings, slightly outpacing population growth, according to new analysis from Nationwide.
Of the total, 16.3 million homes are owner-occupied, representing 64% of the stock, while 4.9 million are privately rented and 4.2 million are in the social rented sector.
Over half of owner-occupied homes are classified as under-occupied, meaning they have two or more spare bedrooms, compared with just 16% of privately rented properties.
In the social rented sector, overcrowding remains a concern, with 8% of properties falling below the required bedroom standard.
Andrew Harvey, senior economist at Nationwide, said: “Over the past decade, the total housing stock in England has increased by 2.1 million dwellings (9%) to 25.4 million (in 2023).
“Interestingly, this was slightly above the rate of population growth in England over the same period (7%).
“Of the total, 16.3 million dwellings (64% of the total) are owner occupied, while 4.9 million (19%) are privately rented, with the remaining 4.2 million (16%) in the social rented sector (local authority or housing association).”
Energy efficiency has also improved across the stock. 72% of properties in the social rented sector are rated A to C, compared with 48% in the private rented sector and 49% in the owner-occupied sector.
While the use of heat pumps remains limited at 1.1% of homes, uptake of solar panels is more widespread, with 1.5m dwellings – nearly 6% of stock – fitted with photovoltaic panels.
EV charging access is available in 1.8m homes, around 7% of stock, but in 20% of dwellings built since 2012.
Mary-Lou Press, president of NAEA Propertymark, said: “It’s really positive to see that the number of homes being built continues to grow, as we know that our population and the desire from people to move home continues to increase year on year.
“However, we need to make sure that these homes are meeting ongoing societal and cultural evolutions.
“For example, more people than ever now live alone, and a large portion of them are aged 65 years or older, meaning property specification, type, and tenure all need to be put under the microscope to ensure homes are meeting the requirements of the nation.”
