Housing and homelessness
Key points
- Having declined every year since 2003, the proportion of households accepted as homeless in London was the same in 2010 as 2009 at around 3 per 1,000. The rate did start increasing at the end of 2010.
- The proportion of households living in temporary accommodation in London, despite falling for five years, is more than 10 times higher than the English average. London now accounts for 75% of all households in temporary accommodation in England, most of which are housed in private rented accommodation.
- The number of people found sleeping rough in London has risen in each of the last three years and in 2010 stood at 3,800, of which 2,300 were in contact with services for the first time. Around 1,000 rough sleepers are from Central and East European countries.
- The number of households living in overcrowded accommodation has risen by 60,000 in the last decade and now stands at 220,000. Most of this increase has been in the private rented sector where overcrowding has increased by 100% over the last decade.
- Of the 9 boroughs with the lowest average house prices in 2008, 7 have seen falls of at least 5% since. House prices in the most expensive areas have kept rising.
- Newham and Barking & Dagenham had the highest levels of mortgage repossessions among London boroughs. Enfield, Haringey, Bexley and Brent have the highest rate of landlord evictions.
- Added to these existing problems, 104,000 households in London will be affected by changes to the housing benefit system starting in 2011, which will mean their levels of benefit will no longer be sufficient to cover their rent.
- Those who stand to have the biggest shortfall in their weekly rent are households in the Inner West of London and larger households throughout the capital. The average shortfall these households will face will be in excess of £20 per week. Larger families in the Inner West, requiring more than three bedrooms, will face a shortfall of over £100 a week on average.
Find out more about Housing and homelessness by visiting the indicators in this section, listed on the right.
This section of the site looks at indicators of housing need and suitability - households recognised as homeless, households in temporary accommodation and households in overcrowded accommodation.
Housing is a key reason for the high rates of poverty in the capital. High housing costs, linked to a shortage of supply relative to the very high demand, leaves low-income households in London with less disposable income than their counterparts in other parts of the country.
The changes to Housing Benefit, in particular Local Housing Allowance, announced by the coalition government affect households in London far more than elsewhere. In particular, the introduction of the national cap on the level of LHA that can be received only affects claimants in London. These indicators look at the number of claimants affected by these changes, and the extent to which their incomes will reduce.
You may also be interested in Landlord and Mortgage repossessions in London.
In February 2010 the Mayor of London published the first ever statutory London Homelessness Strategy. One of the key policy pledges made by the Mayor was a commitment to end rough sleeping by 2012. The Mayor published a draft revised strategy in August 2011, which will go out for public consultation before the end of the year.
Topic:
Relevant Indicators
- Households accepted as homeless by borough
- Households accepted as homeless and in temporary accommodation
- Temporary accommodation by borough
- Length of stay in temporary accommodation
- Mortgage repossessions by borough
- Landlord repossessions by borough
- Rough sleeping in London
- Temporary accommodation by tenure
- Overcrowded households by tenure over time
- House prices by borough
- Changes to Housing Benefit
- London households affected by Housing Benefit changes
- Rental shortfall resulting from Housing Benefit changes
- Housing tenure
Glossary
Inner London:
Camden, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth, Westminster
Outer London:
Barking & Dagenham, Barnet, Bromley, Bexley, Brent, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton, Waltham Forest
Overcrowding:
The definition of overcrowding used here is that used in the 2001 Census. It is based on a calculation of how many rooms are needed for that household, taking into account its size and composition. Any household lacking one or more rooms compared to the calculation would be defined as overcrowded.
Homeless:
To be formally recognised as homeless, the person or household must either lack a 'licence to occupy' a home, be unable to access their normal accommodation, or it must be considered unreasonable for them to have to occupy the home they are in
(Adapted from the Housing Act 1996 Part VII para 175)
Temporary Accommodation:
Otherwise known as "interim" or "emergency" accommodation in B&Bs, hostels, bedsits and flats. People who are recognised as homeless by their local authorities are housed in temporary accommodation until their needs have been properly assessed and suitable accommodation found
Rough Sleeping:
The practice of sleeping, or bedding down, in the open air or in buildings or other places not designed for habitation (such as barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats or stations)
(Adapted from 'Guidance on evaluating the extent of rough sleeping', DCLG, 2007 Revision)