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The Communities and Local Government’s English Housing Report, published this week, shows that the number of households renting privately has risen by one million since 2001, from 2.1 million to 3.1 million in 2008-09. The PRS now accounts for 14.2 per cent of all households in England, up from 12.7 per cent in 2007 and 10.1 per cent in 2001.
The number of owner occupier households decreased from a peak of 14.8 million in 2006 to 14.6 million in 2008-09. The proportion of households in owner-occupation has been in decline since 2003, falling from 70.9 per cent to 67.9 per cent during the period
The proportion of social renting households is also in decline, falling from 19.5 per cent in 2001 to 17.7 per cent in 2007, although there was a slight pick-up to 17.8 per cent in 2008-09
83 per cent of private renters are either ‘very satisfied’ or ‘satisfied’ with their home – higher than the social housing sector (78 per cent)
41 per cent of private renters rely on the PRS for their long-term housing needs and have no intention of purchasing a home
One-person households are the most common type of household in the PRS (30 per cent), followed by couples without children (25 per cent) and couples with dependent children (17 per cent)
The PRS provides housing for a wide range of age groups – 48 per cent of private renters are aged 34 or under, with 22 per cent in the 35-44 age group, 12 per cent in 45-54 group and 16 per cent over the age of 55
The PRS encompasses a wide range of economic status – 61 per cent of households are in full-time employment, 9 per cent in part-time work, 5 per cent are unemployed, 9 per cent are retired and 17 per cent are classed as ‘other inactive’
There are 3.3 million properties in the PRS, 48 per cent of which are located in ‘suburban residential’ locations. Just 8 per cent of PRS property is based in city centre locations
Nigel Terrington, Paragon Group chief executive, said: "The CLG’s figures highlight the diverse range of households who call the private rented sector home. The sector’s importance to the UK’s housing needs is growing annually as increasing numbers of people decide to rent – owner-occupation has been in decline since 2003 and we believe that this trend will continue as potential buyers are either unwilling or unable to step on the housing ladder. The UK’s population is forecast to grow from 61 million today to 71.6 million by 2033, but housing completions aren’t keeping pace with household formation and there is growing dislocation between people’s desire to purchase and their ability to do so.
"In addition, the UK is experiencing major socioeconomic and demographic changes. There are growing numbers of single person households, economic migrants and students, and these groups all have a greater propensity to rent rather than buy. People are also getting married and starting families at a later age, so the average first-time buyer age is creeping up, while affordability is a growing problem for most people that want to get on the housing ladder.
"The Government must recognise the importance of the PRS to the UK’s housing needs and foster an environment that encourages the continued investment in the sector by individual landlords. It needs to ensure that the sector isn’t dominated by red tape and that there is available finance to enable landlords to expand the number of properties in the PRS. If the sector is unable to grow to meet demand, we are likely to experience rental inflation and people, including the most vulnerable households, being priced out of the sector."
