Dwelling Stock Estimates, England: 31 March 2022
Published 23 May 2023
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2023
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dwelling-stock-estimates-in-england-2022/dwelling-stock-estimates-england-31-march-2022
Date of next publication: It is expected that the Dwelling Stock Estimates, England: 31 March 2023 statistics will be published in May 2024 (provisional). The date will be pre-announced on the GOV.UK publication release calendar.
Key statistics
There were 25.2 million dwellings in England as of 31 March 2022, an increase of 232,820 dwellings or 0.93% on the previous year.
16.1 million dwellings were owner-occupied dwellings, an increase of 210,000 dwellings on the previous year, 4.9 million dwellings were private rented dwellings, an increase of 11,000 dwellings on the previous year, 4.1 million dwellings were social and affordable rented dwellings (Private Registered Providers plus Local Authorities), an increase of 12,000 dwellings on the previous year. 33,580 dwellings were other public sector dwellings, an increase of 260 dwellings on the previous year.
There were 676,304 vacant dwellings in England on 03 October 2022, an increase of 23,279 or 3.6% from 653,025 on 04 October 2021.
There were 248,149 long-term vacant dwellings in England on 03 October 2022, an increase of 10,809 or 4.6% from 237,340 on 04 October 2021.
England had a dwelling density of 1.97 dwellings per hectare as of 31 March 2022.
Introduction
This statistical release presents National Statistics on estimates of the number of dwellings in England and in each local authority district as of 31 March 2022. The statistics use the Census as a baseline and apply annual net changes to the dwelling stock as measured by the related Housing supply: net additional dwellings statistics. Figures for 2012 to 2021 have been revised, as scheduled, to calibrate to the Census 2021 dwelling count. Figures for 2022 are provisional and subject to revision. Further details are available in the technical notes.This release also includes figures on dwelling density represented by dwellings per hectare of land area.
Our interactive dashboard illustrates results and historical trends.
National estimates
As can be seen from Figure 1 and Table 1 below, there were 25.2 million dwellings in England as of 31 March 2022, an increase of 232,820 dwellings or 0.93% on the previous year.
Figure 1 Annual estimates of total dwelling stock and annual change as a percentage of existing stock, England, as of 31 March 2001 to 31 March 2022
Table 1 Annual estimates of total dwelling stock, annual change in dwelling stock and annual change as a percentage of existing stock, England, as of 31 March 2001 to 31 March 2022
| Year Ending 31 March | Dwelling Stock Estimates (1,000s) | Change from previous year (1,000s) | Change from previous year as a percentage of existing stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 21,210 | ||
| 2002 | 21,350 | 147 | 0.69% |
| 2003 | 21,510 | 160 | 0.74% |
| 2004 | 21,680 | 171 | 0.79% |
| 2005 | 21,870 | 186 | 0.85% |
| 2006 | 22,070 | 203 | 0.92% |
| 2007 | 22,290 | 215 | 0.96% |
| 2008 | 22,510 | 224 | 0.99% |
| 2009 | 22,690 | 183 | 0.81% |
| 2010 | 22,840 | 145 | 0.63% |
| 2011 | 22,980 | 137 | 0.60% |
| 2012 | 23,120 | 141 | 0.61% |
| 2013 | 23,250 | 131 | 0.56% |
| 2014 | 23,390 | 142 | 0.61% |
| 2015 | 23,570 | 177 | 0.75% |
| 2016 | 23,760 | 196 | 0.82% |
| 2017 | 23,990 | 223 | 0.93% |
| 2018 | 24,210 | 228 | 0.94% |
| 2019 | 24,460 | 248 | 1.01% |
| 2020 | 24,710 | 249 | 1.01% |
| 2021 | 24,930 | 218 | 0.87% |
| 2022 | 25,160 | 233 | 0.93% |
Tenure
The tenure figures published in this release differ from those published from the English Housing Survey since the English Housing Survey statistics are in terms of households and not dwellings. In addition, the dwelling stock estimates include vacant dwellings. The trends between the Dwelling Stock Estimates and the English Housing Survey are consistent. However, the English Housing Survey is the primary measure of tenure, as the unit of households is the preferred metric, whilst the Dwelling Stock Estimates are a useful leading indicator.
As can be seen from Figure 2 and Table 2 below, the 25.2 million dwellings in England as of 31 March 2022 comprised of 16.1 million owner-occupied dwellings, 4.9 million private rented dwellings, 2.5 million dwellings rented from Private Registered Providers (also known as Housing Associations) and 1.6 million dwellings rented from Local Authorities.
Figure 2 Annual estimates of total dwelling stock by tenure, England, as of 31 March 2001 to 31 March 2022
Table 2 Annual estimates of total dwelling stock by tenure, England, as of 31 March 2001 to 31 March 2022
| Year Ending 31 March | Owner-Occupied (1,000s) | Private Rented Sector (1,000s) | Social and affordable rented (1,000s) | Other Public (1,000s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 14,735 | 2,133 | 4,236 | 103 |
| 2002 | 14,846 | 2,197 | 4,198 | 112 |
| 2003 | 14,752 | 2,549 | 4,108 | 104 |
| 2004 | 14,986 | 2,578 | 4,037 | 83 |
| 2005 | 15,100 | 2,720 | 3,968 | 82 |
| 2006 | 15,051 | 2,987 | 3,953 | 82 |
| 2007 | 15,093 | 3,182 | 3,938 | 75 |
| 2008 | 15,067 | 3,443 | 3,927 | 74 |
| 2009 | 14,968 | 3,705 | 3,947 | 74 |
| 2010 | 14,895 | 3,912 | 3,966 | 66 |
| 2011 | 14,828 | 4,105 | 3,981 | 62 |
| 2012 | 14,760 | 4,286 | 3,996 | 75 |
| 2013 | 14,702 | 4,465 | 4,013 | 67 |
| 2014 | 14,691 | 4,623 | 4,012 | 64 |
| 2015 | 14,708 | 4,773 | 4,030 | 55 |
| 2016 | 14,830 | 4,832 | 4,043 | 57 |
| 2017 | 15,086 | 4,798 | 4,045 | 56 |
| 2018 | 15,353 | 4,773 | 4,044 | 43 |
| 2019 | 15,591 | 4,762 | 4,066 | 42 |
| 2020 | 15,776 | 4,813 | 4,088 | 33 |
| 2021 | 15,914 | 4,875 | 4,105 | 33 |
| 2022 | 16,124 | 4,885 | 4,117 | 34 |
As can be seen from Figure 3 and Table 3 below, between 31 March 2021 and 31 March 2022, the number of owner-occupied dwellings increased by 210,000 dwellings, the number of private rented sector dwellings increased by 11,000 dwellings and the number of social and affordable rented dwellings (the total rented from Private Registered Providers and Local Authorities) increased by 12,000 dwellings. The increase resulted from a change of 18,000 in Private Registered Provider dwellings and a change of -6,000 in Local Authority dwellings. The number of other public sector dwellings increased by 260 dwellings between 31 March 2021 and 31 March 2022.
Figure 3 Annual change in total dwelling stock by tenure, England, as of 31 March 2002 to 31 March 2022
Table 3 Annual change in total dwelling stock by tenure, England, as of 31 March 2002 to 31 March 2022
| Year Ending 31 March | Owner-Occupied (1,000s) | Private Rented Sector (1,000s) | Social and affordable rented (1,000s) | Other Public (1,000s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 111 | 64 | -38 | 9 |
| 2003 | -94 | 352 | -90 | -8 |
| 2004 | 234 | 29 | -71 | -21 |
| 2005 | 114 | 142 | -69 | -1 |
| 2006 | -49 | 267 | -15 | 0 |
| 2007 | 41 | 195 | -15 | -7 |
| 2008 | -26 | 261 | -11 | -1 |
| 2009 | -98 | 261 | 20 | 0 |
| 2010 | -73 | 207 | 19 | -8 |
| 2011 | -67 | 194 | 14 | -3 |
| 2012 | -68 | 181 | 16 | 12 |
| 2013 | -58 | 179 | 16 | -7 |
| 2014 | -11 | 158 | -1 | -3 |
| 2015 | 17 | 151 | 19 | -9 |
| 2016 | 122 | 59 | 12 | 2 |
| 2017 | 255 | -34 | 3 | -1 |
| 2018 | 267 | -25 | -1 | -13 |
| 2019 | 239 | -11 | 21 | -2 |
| 2020 | 184 | 50 | 22 | -8 |
| 2021 | 138 | 62 | 18 | 0 |
| 2022 | 210 | 11 | 12 | 0 |
As can be seen from Figure 4 and Table 4 below, the proportion of dwellings in owner occupation reached a peak of 69.5% in 2002. Since then, owner occupation has gradually declined to 62.4% in 2015 and 2016, but has increased slightly since, reaching 64.1% as of 31 March 2022 (up from 63.8% on 31 March 2021) . This is comparable with the latest figures on households in owner occupation as revealed by the English Housing Survey, which show household owner occupation rates of 64% in 2021-22 (this proportion is unchanged from 2020-21 and has been similar over the last decade but has seen an increase from 63% in 2016-17).
Correspondingly, the proportion of dwellings in the private rented sector has gradually increased to 20.3% in 2016, but has since fallen. As of 31 March 2022, the private rented sector are 19.4% of the total dwelling stock, down from 19.6% as of 31 March 2021.
Social and affordable rented dwellings are 16.4% of the total dwelling stock as of 31 March 2022, down from 16.5% as of 31 March 2021.
Other public sector dwellings are 0.1% of the total dwelling stock as of 31 March 2022, unchanged from the previous year.
Figure 4 Proportion of total dwelling stock by tenure, England, as of 31 March 2001 to 31 March 2022
Table 4 Proportion of total dwelling stock by tenure, England, as of 31 March 2001 to 31 March 2022
| Year Ending 31 March | Owner-Occupied | Private Rented Sector | Social and affordable rented | Other Public |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 69.5% | 10.1% | 20.0% | 0.5% |
| 2002 | 69.5% | 10.3% | 19.7% | 0.5% |
| 2003 | 68.6% | 11.8% | 19.1% | 0.5% |
| 2004 | 69.1% | 11.9% | 18.6% | 0.4% |
| 2005 | 69.0% | 12.4% | 18.1% | 0.4% |
| 2006 | 68.2% | 13.5% | 17.9% | 0.4% |
| 2007 | 67.7% | 14.3% | 17.7% | 0.3% |
| 2008 | 66.9% | 15.3% | 17.4% | 0.3% |
| 2009 | 66% | 16.3% | 17.4% | 0.3% |
| 2010 | 65.2% | 17.1% | 17.4% | 0.3% |
| 2011 | 64.5% | 17.9% | 17.3% | 0.3% |
| 2012 | 63.8% | 18.5% | 17.3% | 0.3% |
| 2013 | 63.2% | 19.2% | 17.3% | 0.3% |
| 2014 | 62.8% | 19.8% | 17.2% | 0.3% |
| 2015 | 62.4% | 20.3% | 17.1% | 0.2% |
| 2016 | 62.4% | 20.3% | 17.0% | 0.2% |
| 2017 | 62.9% | 20.0% | 16.9% | 0.2% |
| 2018 | 63.4% | 19.7% | 16.7% | 0.2% |
| 2019 | 63.7% | 19.5% | 16.6% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 63.8% | 19.5% | 16.5% | 0.1% |
| 2021 | 63.8% | 19.6% | 16.5% | 0.1% |
| 2022 | 64.1% | 19.4% | 16.4% | 0.1% |
Subnational estimates
Regional estimates
The proportion of dwellings in owner occupation increased in the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, the East of England, the South East and the South West by 0.4, 0.6, 0.4, 0.4 and 1.5 percentage points respectively from 31 March 2021 to 31 March 2022.
Correspondingly, the proportion of dwellings in the owner occupation sector decreased in the North East, the East Midlands, the West Midlands and London by 0.6, 0.2, 0.5 and 0.5 percentage points respectively from 31 March 2021 to 31 March 2022.
Local authority estimates
The breakdown of the private sector into owner-occupied and privately rented dwelling stock at the local authority district is not available (as the split is based on survey information held at regional level only). For further details, please see the technical notes.
As of 31 March 2022, England had a mean dwelling density of 1.97 dwellings per hectare.
As can be seen from figure 5 (left) below, the local authority with the highest dwelling density was Kensington and Chelsea with 73.75 dwellings per hectare and the local authority with the lowest dwelling density was Eden with 0.14 dwellings per hectare as of 31 March 2022.
As can be seen from Figure 5 (right) below, the local authority with the largest increase in dwelling density as of 31 March 2022 since the 2011 census was Tower Hamlets with 16.87 dwellings per hectare from 53.27 in 2011 to 70.14 in 2022. Outside of London, the local authority with the largest increase in dwelling density as of 31 March 2022 since the 2011 census was Watford with 2.22 dwellings per hectare from 17.46 in 2011 to 19.68 in 2022.
Figure 5 Dwellings per hectare[footnote 1] (left) and change in dwellings per hectare from 2011 (right), by each English local authority district, 31 March 2022
Vacant dwellings
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ previously published vacant dwellings table (live table 615) brings together figures on all vacant dwellings and all long-term vacant dwellings in England at local authority district level from 2004 (when records began). This is drawn from several separately published sources. The England figures have been previously published within the Council Taxbase statistics. The Council Tax Base reports on dwellings on the Council Tax list, and whether they are receiving discounts or are being charged premiums. This includes dwellings that have been reported as empty (ie unoccupied and unfurnished) for the purposes of council tax, and so may be subject to a discount or not, charged a premium or fall into an exempt category. The all vacants figures will also include properties that have a council tax exemption. The data are reported from all local authorities and taken as a snapshot of their Council Tax administration system in October.
As can be seen from Figure 6 below, there were 676,304 vacant dwellings in England on 03 October 2022, an increase of 23,279 or 3.6% from 653,025 on 04 October 2021. On 03 October 2022, vacant dwellings are 2.7% of the dwelling stock in England.
Further, there were 248,149 long-term vacant dwellings in England on 03 October 2022, an increase of 10,809 or 4.6% from 237,340 on 04 October 2021. On 03 October 2022, long-term vacant dwellings are 1% of the dwelling stock in England.
Figure 6 Number of vacant and long-term vacant dwellings, England, 2004 to 2022
Accompanying tables and open data
Tables
Accompanying tables are available to download alongside this release.
Open data
These statistics are available in fully open and linkable data formats at Open Data Communities.
Technical Notes
Please see the accompanying Technical Notes for further details.
Enquiries
Media enquiries: Office hours: 0303 444 1209 Email: NewsDesk@levellingup.gov.uk
Public enquiries and Responsible Statistician: Neil Higgins
Email: housing.statistics@levellingup.gov.uk
Information on Official Statistics is available via the UK Statistics Authority website.
Information about statistics at DLUHC is available via the Department’s website.
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To calculate dwellings per hectare, we divide total dwelling stock by land area in hectares. ↩