A new report by the Centre for Ageing Better and Care & Repair England, Home and Dry: The need for decent homes in later life plus the companion Data Annex found that over 4.3 million homes in England are non-decent, and almost half (2 million) are lived in by someone over the age of 55.
Improvement of the English housing stock has at best stalled and for some groups, particularly the oldest people, there are signs that conditions are worsening.
- The number of households over 75yrs living in a non-decent home has increased by 31% in the past 5 years
Most of the housing in poor condition is lived in by home owners, with 78% of non-decent homes headed by someone over 55 years being owner-occupied. The number of low income older home-owners is increasing, and many are facing financial and/or practical barriers to repairing and maintaining their homes.
The Centre for Ageing Better and Care & Repair England are calling for urgent government action to address poor housing.
This would improve occupants’ physical and mental health, contribute to NHS prevention plans, and help to reduce the widening gaps in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy.
[March 2020]
Older People and Housing Action 