This is the first detailed report of findings relating to households from the English housing survey, and builds on results reported in the ‘English housing survey 2008 to 2009: headline report’ published in February 2010 (available on the National Archive).

The ‘English housing survey 2008: housing stock report’ was also published on 27 October 2010.

The report includes the following findings:

• the total number of households in England was 21.5 million in 2008 to 2009, up from 20.2 million in 1999; of these, 68% were owner occupiers, 18% were social renters, and 14% were private renters
• owner-occupation decreased from a peak of 70.9% of households in 2003 to 67.9% in 2008 to 2009; in contrast, the proportion of households renting privately rose from 10.8% to 14.2% over the same period
• 656,000 households (3.0%) were overcrowded, with about a third of these households living in London; overcrowding rates were higher in rented tenures than in owner-occupation: 6.7% of social renters and 5.4% of private renters compared to 1.6% of owner-occupiers
• under-occupancy was highest in the South West and East Midlands (both 40%)
• 61% of households in the private-rented sector worked full time compared with 24% of households in the social-rented sector; however, a much higher proportion of social renters than private renters were retired: 31% compared to 9%
• private renters tended to be younger than social renters: 60% of social renters were aged 45 or over compared with 29% of private renters
• the average weekly rent for households in the private-rented sector was £153, compared with £72 for social renters
• 1.9 million households had moved into their current accommodation in the 12-month period prior to 2008 to 2009, a reduction of 21% compared with the previous year
• of private-renter households, 36% had lived in their home for less than a year, compared with 4% of owner-occupiers and 8% of social renters; over half (54%) of owner-occupiers and 40% of social renters had not moved in the past 10 years; only 11% of private renters had lived in their home for over 10 years
• overall, 87% of households were very or fairly satisfied with their local area and 90% were satisfied with their accommodation, with older householders most likely to express satisfaction

This page hosts the results of analysis carried out by the Greater London Authority of English Housing Survey microdata, including figures that have been referred to in Mayoral press releases.

This dataset comprises sensor data collected from Smart Citizen Kits (SCK) sensors, along with survey data conducted by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ). The unique ID is utilized as a linking mechanism between the SCK sensor data and the TBIJ survey data.

The SCK (Smart Citizen Kits) sensors captured a range of environmental parameters in homes, including air temperature, relative humidity, air quality, noise condition and light condition. SCK was calibrated in the lab-based environment by the sensor manufacturer first and further corrected based on its operational mode. Further validation procedures were implemented to ensure the accuracy and quality of the air temperature data and relative humidity data by comparing records between survey sensors and commercial sensors (HOBO MX1101 Wireless Temperature and Humidity Data Logger - Optional Remote Monitoring).

Regarding the TBIJ survey data, only housing tenure, housing types, and self-reported housing conditions from the survey data are included in this dataset.

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) quintiles and existing Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) data are also included in this dataset, based on the participants’ home addresses and Unique ID, providing deprivation level of neighbourhoods and energy conditions of homes. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2019">IMD data was obtained from UK government and the IMD quintile was calculated based on the IMD decile. The EPC data was collected from https://epc.opendatacommunities.org/login">Energy Performance of Buildings Search Results

There is a further data collection which contains additional details on survey households’ building conditions, including building insulations and building age, linked and processed from the open EPC dataset. That is available under https://data.ubdc.ac.uk/dataset/sensor-safeguarded#repeated_field-1">licence

If you want to link the indoor sensor measurement with the outdoor climate conditions, the nearest local weather station is https://wow.metoffice.gov.uk/observations/details/2024022266xn7wqtore67kyhyytrteyxba">LIMBO from the UK Met Office

Some initial analysis from this dataset can be found in our https://github.com/congying-hu/SensorEnhancedSurveyHeatInvestigation?tab=readme-ov-file">GitHub repository

The UK housing market continued to show significant regional variations in 2025, with London maintaining its position as the most expensive city for homebuyers. The average house price in the capital stood at ******* British pounds in February, nearly double the national average. However, the market dynamics are shifting, with London experiencing only a modest *** percent annual increase, while other cities like Belfast and Liverpool saw more substantial growth of over **** percent respectively. Affordability challenges and market slowdown Despite the continued price growth in many cities, the UK housing market is facing headwinds. The affordability of mortgage repayments has become the biggest barrier to property purchases, with the majority of the respondents in a recent survey citing it as their main challenge. Moreover, a rising share of Brits have reported affordability as a challenge since 2021, reflecting the impact of rising house prices and higher mortgage rates. The market slowdown is evident in the declining housing transaction volumes, which have plummeted since 2021. European context The stark price differences are mirrored in the broader European context. While London boasts some of the highest property prices among European cities, a comparison of the average transaction price for new homes in different European countries shows a different picture. In 2023, the highest prices were found in Austria, Germany, and France.

Quarterly house price data based on a sub-sample of the Regulated Mortgage Survey.

Percentage of households in fuel poverty as measured by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Statistics by tenure taken from the English Housing Survey. This dataset is one of the Greater London Authority's measures of Economic Fairness. Click here to find out more.

This table shows the numbers and percentages of all households by each housing tenure category, including, owned outright, being bought with mortgage or loan, or rented from Local Authority, Housing Association or private landlord.

Other Rented includes renting from employing organisation, another organisation, relative of household member and individual employer.
Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred.
Percentages were calculated on unrounded numbers and then rounded to the nearest whole percent.
Sample for the City of London is too low to provide any data.

The Annual Population Survey (APS) and Integrated Household Surveys (IHS) are sample surveys and therefore numbers and percentages at borough level are indicative only.

IHS is a new dataset not available before 2010. Pre 2010 data comes from the APS. Due to differences in the source data, the two years cannot be directly compared. IHS data has a larger sample size and is therefore more reliable.

About 36 percent of homeowners in England were aged 65 and above, which contrasts sharply with younger age groups, particularly those under 35. Young adults between 25 and 35, made up 15 percent of homeowners and had a dramatically lower homeownership rate. The disparity highlights the growing challenges faced by younger generations in entering the property market, a trend that has significant implications for wealth distribution and social mobility. Barriers to homeownership for young adults The path to homeownership has become increasingly difficult for young adults in the UK. A 2023 survey revealed that mortgage affordability was the greatest obstacle to property purchase. This represents a 39 percent increase from 2021, reflecting the impact of rising house prices and mortgage rates. Despite these challenges, one in three young adults still aspire to get on the property ladder as soon as possible, though many have put their plans on hold. The need for additional financial support from family, friends, and lenders has become more prevalent, with one in five young adults acknowledging this necessity. Regional disparities and housing supply The housing market in England faces regional challenges, with North West England and the West Midlands experiencing the largest mismatch between housing supply and demand in 2023. This imbalance is evident in the discrepancy between new homes added to the housing stock and the number of new households formed. London, despite showing signs of housing shortage, has seen the largest difference between homes built and households formed. The construction of new homes has been volatile, with a significant drop in 2020, a rebound in 2021 and a gradual decline until 2024.

The Mayor's London Housing Strategy introduced the idea of Housing Zones, a new initiative to accelerate housing delivery in areas with high development potential. More Information on Housing Zones can be found on the GLA's website.

The boundaries were defined by the Local Authorities in their bid documents and a set of indicative boundaries is provided here as a set of GIS files for convenience. As further Housing Zones are announced, the GIS file will be updated.

Please contact the relevant Local Authority if you require the definitive boundary.

NOTE: The boundaries are based on Ordnance Survey mapping and the data is published under Ordnance Survey's 'presumption to publish'.

Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2015.

This survey was commissioned by the GLA and undertaken by Taylor Nelson Sofres. Over 8,150 interviews were achieved, sufficient for detailed data analysis at London city level and less detailed analysis at 'groups of boroughs' level.

No specific report of findings has been written, because the survey is intended primarily to support policy development, including the linkages between multiple aspects of needs. The data have so far been used by a wide range of GLA policy teams, government research analysts, and academics. The survey has also formed the basis for follow-up interview surveys (based on the 75%+ of respondents who gave permission at the end of the main interview), on topics such as access to e-governance.

Graph and download economic data for Employed Persons in New London County, CT (LAUCN090110000000005) from Jan 1990 to Dec 2024 about New London County, CT; Norwich; CT; household survey; persons; employment; and USA.

The General Household Survey (GHS), ran from 1971-2011 (the UKDS holds data from 1972-2011). It was a continuous annual national survey of people living in private households, conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The main aim of the survey was to collect data on a range of core topics, covering household, family and individual information. This information was used by government departments and other organisations for planning, policy and monitoring purposes, and to present a picture of households, families and people in Great Britain. In 2008, the GHS became a module of the Integrated Household Survey (IHS). In recognition, the survey was renamed the General Lifestyle Survey (GLF). The GLF closed in January 2012. The 2011 GLF is therefore the last in the series. A limited number of questions previously run on the GLF were subsequently included in the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN).

Secure Access GHS/GLF
The UKDS holds standard access End User Licence (EUL) data for 1972-2006. A Secure Access version is available, covering the years 2000-2011 - see SN 6716 General Lifestyle Survey, 2000-2011: Secure Access.

History
The GHS was conducted annually until 2011, except for breaks in 1997-1998 when the survey was reviewed, and 1999-2000 when the survey was redeveloped. Further information may be found in the ONS document An overview of 40 years of data (General Lifestyle Survey Overview - a report on the 2011 General Lifestyle Survey) (PDF). Details of changes each year may be found in the individual study documentation.

EU-SILC
In 2005, the European Union (EU) made a legal obligation (EU-SILC) for member states to collect additional statistics on income and living conditions. In addition, the EU-SILC data cover poverty and social exclusion. These statistics are used to help plan and monitor European social policy by comparing poverty indicators and changes over time across the EU. The EU-SILC requirement was integrated into the GHS/GLF in 2005. After the closure of the GLF, EU-SILC was collected via the Family Resources Survey (FRS) until the UK left the EU in 2020.

Reformatted GHS data 1973-1982 - Surrey SPSS Files
SPSS files were created by the University of Surrey for all GHS years from 1973 to 1982 inclusive. The early files were restructured and the case changed from the household to the individual with all of the household information duplicated for each individual. The Surrey SPSS files contain all the original variables as well as some extra derived variables (a few variables were omitted from the data files for 1973-76). In 1973 only, the section on leisure was not included in the Surrey SPSS files. This has subsequently been made available, however, and is now held in a separate study, General Household Survey, 1973: Leisure Questions (SN 3982). Records for the original GHS 1973-1982 ASCII files have been removed from the UK Data Archive catalogue, but the data are still preserved and available upon request.

Housing zones are areas funded by the Mayor and government to attract developers and relevant partners to build new homes. The GIS files show the indicative boundaries, please contact the relevant London Borough to confirm accuracy. NOTE: The boundaries are based on Ordnance Survey mapping and the data is published under Ordnance Survey's 'presumption to publish'.Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2019.

Greater London Authority - Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0

The Communal Heating Consumer Survey was conducted in October 2017 to collect feedback from consumers on their views on the quality and satisfaction of the communal heating scheme which provides space heating and hot water to their properties. A report has been published a year after, summarising the survey's key findings and results, and it can be downloaded here. The GLA is aware that residents in some new developments where CHP systems have been installed have expressed concerns about aspects of their heating arrangements. To better understand the issues, in October 2017 the GLA has undertaken a customer experience survey of residents of housing developments in London whose heating arrangements incorporate a communal heating system / on-site district heating network supplied by CHP. This has involved schemes installed both pre- and post-London Plan (2009). A total of 384 responses were gained from 44 sites across London. The survey conclusions have been contrasted with those of similar recent studies carried out by other organisations. The BEIS Heat Network Consumer Survey (2017) and this survey both conclude that heat customers served by communal heating systems and heat networks, including CHP, are generally satisfied with their heating arrangements.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployed Persons in New London County, CT (LAUCN090110000000004A) from 1990 to 2023 about New London County, CT; Norwich; CT; household survey; persons; unemployment; and USA.

The European Quality of Life survey (EQLS) examines both the objective circumstances of European citizens' lives, and how they feel about those circumstances, and their lives in general. It looks at a range of issues, such as employment, income, education, housing, family, health and work-life balance. It also looks at subjective topics, such as people's levels of happiness, how satisfied they are with their lives, and how they perceive the quality of their societies. The survey is carried out every four years.The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) commissioned GfK EU3C to carry out the survey. The survey was carried in the 27 European Member States (EU27), and the survey was also implemented in seven non-EU countries. The survey covers residents aged 18 and over. For the purposes of the rankings in this report, London is treated as a 35th European country.The themes covered in the analysis below are: volunteering, community relations, trust in society, public services ratings, well-being, health, wealth and poverty, housing, and skills and employment. The tables following the analysis on page 4 show figures and rankings for:

London, rest of the UK, Europe average, the highest ranked country, and the lowest ranked country.

Internet use data for all European NUTS1 areas included in spreadsheet. Note figures based on low sample sizes marked in pink.

The aims of the survey were:
(a) to assess the reaction of elderly residents in LA Homes to their present environment and to interpret the practical implications this may have for planners and architects;
(b) to explore the attitudes of old people to residential care and identify consumer preferences, or aspirations for environmental improvement;
(c) to investigate attitudes and experiences of staff and to look at the impact of physical environment of the home on working life;
(d) to determine the way in which quality of life may be influenced by a range of factors relating to the physical environment, institutional environment and resident mix
(e) to determine the importance of locational factors.

An associated qualitative dataset, Consumer Study in Old People's Homes : Four Homes Studied in Detail, is available via Qualidata at the University of Essex.

The files below provide the affordable housing statistics for GLA funded programmes. The GLA is committed to open and transparent reporting and will publish statistics relating to housing delivery in London.

Downloads

• - Monthly GLA housing starts and completions data by programme, tenure and Local Authority, since April 2009.

• - Annual Affordable Housing Additional Information by bedroom size by Local Authority:

Tables include:

• 1 Completions outturn by bedroom breakdown and borough
• 2 Starts-on-Site outturn by bedroom breakdown and borough
• 3 Completions outturn by bedroom breakdown and programme
• 4 Starts-on-Site outturn by bedroom breakdown and programme
• 5 Rent Completions outturn by bedroom breakdown and borough
• 6 Home Ownership Completions outturn by bedroom breakdown and borough
• 7 Rent Starts-on-Site outturn by bedroom breakdown and borough
• 8 Home Ownership Starts-on-Site outturn by bedroom breakdown and borough
• 9 Average Weekly Rents (all programmes) for completed homes by bedroom breakdown by borough
• 10 Affordable Homes Programme: Average weekly rent as % of market rent for homes completed by bedroom breakdown and borough.

This information supplements previous releases of national housing statistics published by the
Homes and Communities Agency (external website).

To see future Publication Dates of the affordable Housing Statistics, please click here.

Annual scheme level data

A data set of scheme completions and starts since April 2011 is available. This data set will be updated on an annual basis.

See some of this data represented in charts and maps using Tableau reporting.

Visit GLA website for more information.

Further to the GLA's scheme of delegations, the Mayor has delegated authority to the Executive Director of Housing and Land to approve engagement with, and allocations to, new and existing housing providers bidding to deliver additional affordable homes in London. The approvals include bids for new schemes in existing programmes and the approval of variations to existing scheme allocations. The Additional Allocations file below lists additional funding approved under this delegation.

AHP Conversions

This report is based on information on conversions provided to the GLA by the Social Housing Regulator, the conversion data is as submitted by providers in their quarterly survey via NROSH+ (a website for all private registered providers except local authority providers to submit their annual data returns required by the Social Housing Regulator).