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Housing · Place and tenure · England · 2025

Who is most exposed, and where?

Place, tenure and age matter more than any national average. Buying costs 10.6 times pay in London and 5.0 in the North East; renters spend 42% of income on rent in London; and 135,580 households are in temporary accommodation in England, the most on record.

Evidence last reviewed 3 October 2026

Where buying is hardest

Where is buying hardest?

In London a home costs 10.6 times pay; in the North East, 5.0

House price to earnings ratio by English region, 2025 (filled dot) and 2007 (open dot). England overall: 7.6.

English regions · 2007 and 2025
20252007England 7.6×
  • London10.6×
  • South East9.6×
  • East of England9.0×
  • South West8.3×
  • East Midlands7.0×
  • West Midlands6.8×
  • Yorkshire and The Humber6.0×
  • North West5.9×
  • North East5.0×
The national figure hides a two-to-one gap between regions. Since 2007 buying has become clearly harder relative to pay only in London, the South East and the East of England; in the North West, Yorkshire and the South West the ratio is about where it was, and in the North East it is lower. Local authority figures — inside Hampshire, for example — vary even more. Regional ratios use the earnings of people working in the region, so commuting affects them.

English regions · 2007 and 2025 · Official statistics

Sources, definitions and data — In London a home costs 10.6 times pay; in the North East, 5.0
Geography:
English regions
Measure:
Multiple of annual earnings (ratio)
Period:
2007 and 2025
Status:
Official statistics
Calculation:
As published by ONS (Table 1c).
Compare with:
England, 7.6

Source: ONS, Housing affordability in England and Wales: 2025, dataset Table 1c (released 26 March 2026). Chart HOUSE-04.

View the data as a table
Region20252007
London10.617.94
South East9.588.40
East of England9.027.77
South West8.338.29
East Midlands7.026.43
West Midlands6.806.48
Yorkshire and The Humber6.036.04
North West5.925.83
North East5.005.79

Rent burden follows a similar but flatter pattern: highest in London and lowest in the North East — see renting by region. Inside regions the spread is wider again; for one county’s 13 council areas, see how Hampshire’s areas compare.

Tenure and age

Owners with a mortgage are exposed to interest rates; outright owners — mostly older — are largely protected and have gained from rising prices. Private renters bear rising rents directly and, on average, have lower incomes and almost no housing wealth. Younger households are more likely to rent: ownership among 25–34 year-old households fell sharply after 2004 and has only partly recovered (see the chart).

Because property is, with pensions, the largest form of household wealth, these differences compound into wealth gaps between generations and between owners and renters — see who owns the wealth.

The sharpest edge: homelessness

How many households are in temporary accommodation?

135,580 households are in temporary accommodation — the most on record

Households, and children in those households, in temporary accommodation arranged by local authorities under homelessness legislation, England, quarterly snapshots.

England · March 1998 to March 2026 (children from June 2004)

1996–2026 displayed window · observations only. Shading marks years outside the displayed record.

Households; childrenNo observations shown0k50k100k150k200k200020102020135.6k177.5k
Temporary accommodation fell by half after 2005, when the government set a target to halve it by 2010 and councils focused on prevention, then rose almost every year from 2011. It now stands at 135,580 households, including 177,530 children. The end of a private tenancy is one of the most common reasons for losing a home, and councils struggle to find homes within Local Housing Allowance rates. This is the sharpest edge of the housing shortage, and its cost to councils has risen sharply.

England · March 1998 to March 2026 (children from June 2004) · Official statistics

Sources, definitions and data — 135,580 households are in temporary accommodation — the most on record
Geography:
England
Measure:
Households; children
Period:
March 1998 to March 2026 (children from June 2004)
Status:
Official statistics
Calculation:
As published (Table TA1), snapshot at the end of each quarter.
Compare with:
The 2000s peak of 101,300 households
Not included / breaks:
Counts households placed by councils, not people sleeping rough or “hidden homeless” people staying with friends.

Source: MHCLG, Statutory homelessness: England time series, Table TA1. Chart HOUSE-12.

View the data as a table
Quarter endHouseholdsChildren
Mar 199847,520n/a
Mar 199956,580n/a
Mar 200065,170n/a
Mar 200175,200n/a
Mar 200280,200n/a
Mar 200389,040n/a
Mar 200497,680n/a
Mar 2005101,070125,860
Mar 200696,370127,650
Mar 200787,120125,430
Mar 200877,510110,360
Mar 200964,00092,590
Mar 201051,31074,610
Mar 201148,24069,660
Mar 201250,43070,090
Mar 201355,32076,040
Mar 201458,41083,370
Mar 201564,71098,620
Mar 201671,670111,060
Mar 201777,220120,520
Mar 201880,720123,520
Mar 201985,040125,490
Mar 202092,190128,200
Mar 202195,290121,300
Mar 202295,000119,780
Mar 2023104,540131,500
Mar 2024117,350151,540
Mar 2025130,890168,710
Mar 2026135,580177,530
Sources and methods (3)

Method notes

  • Regional ratios use workplace-based earnings, so commuting into a region affects its ratio.
  • Temporary accommodation is a quarter-end snapshot of households placed by councils; it does not count rough sleepers or people staying with friends.