Social housing lettings and sales in England: 2011 to 2012
Official statistics on new lettings and sales of existing social housing stock in England for 2011 to 2012.
Applies to England
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This statistical release presents official statistics on new lettings and sales of existing social housing stock in England for 2011 to 2012.
Statistics on new lettings in England are given for both local authorities and private registered social housing providers; and on sales of social housing in England for private registered providers. Information about the tenancy or sale, the tenants or buyers, and the property, are collected each time there is a new letting or sale transaction. Lets of general needs and supported social housing are collected, and, from 2011 to 2012, providers have also been asked to report on affordable lettings.
Social housing sales include sales under Right to Buy, Preserved Right to Buy, Right to Acquire, Social HomeBuy, other outright or shared equity sales to tenants, and sales of existing stock to the private sector. No details are recorded of sales of additional equity shares purchased by existing shared owners (known as ‘staircasing’).
Key points from the release are:
- there were 362,610 new social lettings in 2011 to 2012, a 2% increase on 2010 to 2011 and equating to less than 10% of social stock
- 72% of lets were by private registered providers and 28% by local authorities; overall 67% were for general needs social housing
- the average weekly social rent was £76 in 2011 to 2012; private registered provider rent was £81, an increase of 6% on the previous year
- the most common type of household taking up a general needs letting was single adults aged under 60 without children (over 30%), with a further 20% to single adults under 60 with children
- in the first year of collection, 4,612 affordable rent lettings were reported by private registered providers; average weekly general needs affordable rent was £110, equating to 68% of average market rent
- there were 10,356 social housing sales by private registered providers during 2011 to 2012, an increase of 4% on 2010 to 2011
- most properties were sold to single adults (43%) and multi-adult households with no children (32%)
- the average initial share purchased was 42% across all types of social housing sale, with 50% being the most typical initial share