National statistics

English Housing Survey 2021 to 2022: household moves - fact sheet

Published 13 July 2023

Applies to England

The English Housing Survey collects data on whether households have moved in the last 3 years, their previous tenure, and their reasons for moving. We also ask households about their future plans to move, their reasons why or why not, and the tenure they expect to live in as part of their long-term plans. Across the report we compare households with ‘younger’ Household Reference Persons (HRPs), which for the purposes of this report fall between the ages of 16-54, and households with ‘older’ HRPs – those 55 and over. Below, we detail findings on household moves collected as part of the 2021-22 survey year.

1. Households that have been resident less than 3 years

In 2021-22, approximately 5.2 million (22%) households in England had been living in their current home for less than 3 years Annex Table 1.1.

Private renters were the most likely tenure to have been living in their home for less than 3 years. In 2021-22, 50% of private renters had been resident less than 3 years, compared to 17% of social renters and 14% of owner occupiers.

Among owner occupiers, mortgagors were more likely to have been resident less than 3 years (23%) than outright owners (7%).

22% of households have lived in their current home for less than 3 years. Private renters were the most likely tenure to have a recent move.

2. Older and younger households that have been resident less than 3 years

In 2021-22, younger households were more likely to have been living in their home for less than 3 years, compared to older households, Annex Table 1.1.

Among owner occupiers, 24% of households where the HRP was aged 16 to 54 had been resident less than 3 years, compared to 7% of older owner occupier households (where the HRP is aged 55 or older).

The same trend was observed among private renters. Of younger private rented households, 57% had been resident less than 3 years, compared to 24% of older private rented households.

Similarly, among social renters, 24% of younger social rented households had been resident less than 3 years, compared to 9% of older social rented households.

Younger households were more likely to have been living in their home for less than 3 years compared to older households.

3. Proportion of households resident less than 3 years in London and the rest of England

Private rented households in London were most mobile, with a higher proportion (57%) resident in their accommodation for less than 3 years compared to the rest of England (48%), Annex Table 1.4

This trend was reversed for the social rented sector with those in London less likely to be recent movers (12% resident less than 3 years in London compared to 18% in the rest of England).

There was no difference in the proportion of households resident less than 3 years between London (14%) and the rest of England (14%) for owner occupier households.

Private renters in London are more likely to have moved recently compared to those in the rest of England. The pattern is reversed for social renters.

4. Distance moved from previous home

Of households that have been resident less than 3 years, social renters tended to stay closer to their previous homes than private renters and owner occupiers.

In 2021-22, 70% of social renters who moved within the last 3 years moved within 5 miles of their previous home, compared to 45% of private renters and 51% of owner occupiers, Annex Table 1.5.

Social renters who had moved tended to stay closer to their previous homes than private renters or owner occupiers.

5. Distance moved from previous home, among younger and older owners

Younger owner occupier households (aged 16 to 54) were more likely to have stayed closer to their previous home than older owner occupier households (aged 55 and over).

In 2021-22, of younger owner occupier households who were resident less than 3 years, 53% had moved within 5 miles of their old home, compared to 44% of older owner occupier households Annex Table 1.5.

Conversely, older owner occupier households were more likely to have moved 50 miles or more from their previous home, compared to younger owner occupier households; 21% of older owner occupiers had moved 50 miles or more, compared to 7% of younger owner occupiers.

Over half (53%) of younger owners moved within 5 miles of their previous home, compared to 44% of older owners.

6. Previous tenure by current tenure

Of owner occupiers who were resident less than 3 years, over half had moved from a home they already owned (53%). Of the remaining, 31% were previously living in the private rented sector, 13% were new households, and 3% of owners were previously social renters, Annex Table 1.6.

Similarly, 64% of private renters who moved home within the last 3 years were previously private renting. Just 4% of current private renters were previously social renters.

Similarly in the social rented sector, over half of social renters who moved home within the last 3 years were previously social renters (54%). A quarter (25%) entered the social rented sector from the private rented sector, followed by 18% who formed new households. Only 3% of current social renters were previously owners.

Across all tenures, over half of recently moved households had moved from a home of the same tenure.

7. Reason for owner occupiers moving home in the last 3 years

In 2021-22, the 3 most common reasons younger owner occupier households (aged 16 to 54) gave for having moved home in the last 3 years were to buy a home (37%), to buy a larger house or flat (32%) and to move to a better neighbourhood or area (21%), Annex Table 1.7.

This differed from older owner occupier households (aged 55 and over), where the main reasons for having moved home in the last 3 years were for family or personal reasons (30%), to move to a smaller home or flat (20%) and to move to a better neighbourhood or area (20%).

Younger and older owners report different reasons for moving home.

8. Expectation to move in the next 6 months

Across all housing tenures, younger households (aged 16 to 54) were more likely to expect to move within the next 6 months than older households (aged 55 and over).

In 2021-22, 5% of younger owner occupier households expected to move in the next 6 months, compared to 2% of older owner occupier households, Annex Table 1.10.

Similarly, 20% of younger private rented households expected to move in the next 6 months, compared to 9% of older private rented households.

One in ten (10%) of younger social rented households expected to move compared to 3% of older social rented households.

Younger households are more likely to expect to move in the next 6 months than older households.

9. Long term future housing expectations

When considering future housing, the majority of owners expected to continue to own their own home in the long term. This was true for younger owner occupier households (99%) (aged 16 to 54) and older owner occupier households (96%) (aged 55 and over). A small percentage of older owner occupier households (3%) expected to live in some other housing arrangement, such as in sheltered accommodation or living with family and friends, Annex Table 1.12.

Similarly, most social renters expected to stay living in the social rented sector. This was more common among older social rented households (89%) than younger social rented households (62%). Expecting to become an owner occupier was more common among younger social rented households (34%) compared to older social rented households (6%).

Private renters were less likely to expect to stay in the same tenure in the long term than social renters or owner occupiers. Less than a quarter of younger private rented households expected to remain private renters in the long term (24%). Among older private rented households this was higher at 53%. Correspondingly, 64% of younger private renters expected to become owners compared to 23% of older private renters. A greater proportion of older private renters expect to become social renters (14%) compared to younger private renters (8%). Nearly one in ten (9%) of older private renters also expected to live in other housing arrangements, compared to 4% of younger renters.

Future housing expectations are noticeably different between younger and older households.