English Housing Survey 2022 to 2023: security of tenure - fact sheet
Published 18 July 2024
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2024
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2022-to-2023-security-of-tenure-fact-sheet/english-housing-survey-2022-to-2023-security-of-tenure-fact-sheet
The English Housing Survey collects data on household moves, including whether households have moved in the last 3 years, their previous tenure, their reasons for moving (such as eviction) and how evictions were carried out. New to the 2022-23 EHS, the survey also collects data on private renters’ security of tenure and their outlook on their current housing situation, such as whether they feel safe from eviction, feel confident making long-term decisions, feel secure enough to be invested in the community and whether their current accommodation feels like a home.
Section one covers all households who lived at their current address for less than 3 years and were previously private renters (including those who are still private renters). Section two covers all households who lived at their current address for less than 3 years and were previously evicted from their last private rented accommodation. Section three onwards focuses on all private renters.
Throughout the fact sheet, categories have been grouped for ease. For example, levels of agreement are grouped so those who said they either ‘strongly agree’ or ‘tend to agree’ with a statement are referred to as having ‘agreed’.
1. Tenancies ending in eviction
Of the households that moved from a private rented dwelling within the last 3 years, more than 200,000 households (9%) reported their previous tenancy ended because the landlord or letting agent asked them to leave, Annex Table 1.1.
Around 1 in 10 private rented tenancies that ended in the previous 3 years was due to eviction.
Note: Households could report more than one reason for leaving
Of those who were asked to leave, more than two-thirds (67%) of households reported it was because the ‘landlord wanted to sell or use the property’, 2% mentioned ‘problems with the property’ and 31% reported other reasons, Annex Table 1.2.
2. Methods of eviction
Under the Housing Act 1988, a landlord can legally end an Assured Shorthold Tenancy in two ways: with either a Section 8 notice and possession ground, or a Section 21 notice. A Section 21 notice is served to end a tenancy agreement, so that the landlord can regain possession. No reason is required. A Section 8 notice is served to end a tenancy agreement for 1 (or more) of the grounds for repossession permitted by the Act. For more information, please refer to the government explanation on Evicting tenants in England.
Households evicted within the last 3 years were asked about the means of eviction. Over half of evicted households reported that they were requested to leave informally (51%), over a third mentioned receiving a Section 21 notice (37%), and fewer stated other methods (12%). Just 2% reported receiving a Section 8 notice, Annex Table 1.3.
Households asked to leave within the last 3 years were more likely to report they were done so informally. Of formal means of eviction, Section 21 was the most common.
3. Security of tenure and feeling safe from eviction
Just over three-quarters (78%) of private renters agreed with the statement “I currently feel safe from eviction”, while 11% disagreed with the statement, Annex table 1.4.
Over three-quarters of private renters felt safe from eviction.
When looking at household composition, lone parents with dependent children were the least likely to agree (65%) with the statement “I currently feel safe from eviction” and the most likely to disagree (22%).
Couples with dependent children were more likely to feel safe from eviction than lone parents with dependent children.
Those in the highest income quintile (86%) were more likely to agree with the statement “I currently feel safe from eviction” than the lowest four quintiles (73% to 80%).
Private renters in the highest income quintiles were the most likely to feel safe from eviction.
Households containing someone with a long-term illness or disability (16%) were more likely to disagree with the statement “I currently feel safe from eviction” than households without (8%).
Households with a retired household reference person (HRP) (88%) were generally more likely to agree with the statement “I currently feel safe from eviction” than households with HRPs of other employment statuses (63% to 80%). They were also more likely to feel secure enough to feel confident making long-term decisions (84%), to feel invested in their community (84%) and feel secure enough that where they live feels like home (91%) than all other employment statuses, Annex Tables 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 and 1.7.
Retired HRPs were more likely to agree with all of the following statements than HRPs who were not retired.
4. Feeling confident making long-term decisions
More than two-thirds (68%) of private renters agreed with the statement “My housing situation is secure enough for me to feel confident making long-term decisions about my life”, while 16% disagreed with it, Annex table 1.5.
Just over two-thirds of private renters felt that their housing situation was secure enough to feel confident making long-term decisions about their lives.
Related to the finding on retired HRPs, households consisting of one person aged 60 or over (79%) were more likely to agree with the statement “My housing situation is secure enough for me to feel confident making long-term decisions about my life” than all other households (63% to 70%). Similarly, households with HRPs aged 65 or over (80% to 85%) were generally more likely to agree with the statement than all other ages (62% to 71%), likely reflecting findings on retired HRPs.
Households with someone with a long-term illness or disability (22%) were more likely to disagree with the statement “My housing situation is secure enough for me to feel confident making long-term decisions about my life” than other households (14%).
More than a fifth of households containing someone long-term ill or disabled did not feel confident making long-term decisions.
5. Feeling invested in the community
Just under two-thirds (62%) of private renters agreed with the statement “My housing situation is secure enough for me to feel invested in my community”, while 14% disagreed with the statement, Annex table 1.6.
Around two-thirds of private renters felt that their housing situation was secure enough for them to feel invested in their community.
Households consisting of couples with dependent children (72%) and one person aged 60 or over (75%) were more likely to agree with the statement “My housing situation is secure enough for me to feel invested in my community” than other households (56% to 60%).
Couples with dependent children and one person households aged 60 or over were the most likely to agree that their situation was secure enough to feel invested in the community.
Households with HRPs aged 65 or over (83% and 84%) were more likely to agree with the statement “My housing situation is secure enough for me to feel invested in my community” than younger HRP households (51% to 64%). HRPs from a black ethnic background (24%) were more likely to disagree with the statement than all the other ethnic groups (12% to 13%).
Households receiving housing support (20%) were more likely to disagree with the statement “My housing situation is secure enough for me to feel invested in my community” compared with those who did not receive housing support (12%).
6. Housing situation feels like home
Three-quarters (75%) of private renters agreed with the statement “My housing situation is secure enough that where I live feels like home”, while 12% disagreed with it, Annex table 1.7.
The majority of private renters felt that their housing situation was secure enough to feel like home.
Households consisting of one person aged 60 or over (90%) were more likely to agree with the statement “My housing situation is secure enough that where I live feels like home” then all other household types (66% to 80%). Furthermore, most household types (75% to 90%) (except lone parents with dependent children and one person under 60), were more likely to agree with the statement than other multi-person households (66%).
Households of one person aged 60 or over were the most likely to agree that their housing situation was secure enough to feel like home.
Higher income households felt more secure in their housing situation. Households in the highest three income quintiles (78% to 85%) were more likely to agree with the statement “My housing situation is secure enough that where I live feels like home” than the lowest two quintiles (68% and 71%). Similarly, households in the lowest four quintiles (12% to 14%) were more likely to disagree with the statement than those in the highest quintile (6%).
Private renters in the lowest quintile were more likely to disagree with the statement “My housing situation is secure enough that where I live feels like home” than those in the highest quintile.
