Introduction to the EHCS

The English House Condition Survey operated continuously from 2002 until April 2008 when it was merged with the Survey of English Housing to form the English Housing Survey (EHS).

The physical survey, previously undertaken as part of the EHCS, is now part of the EHS. Results from the final year of the survey are still being processed. These pages give information about the operation of the EHCS prior to 2008 and up to date information about reports and results available from the survey. Results from the 2006 and 2007 EHCS will continue to be published on these pages as they become available.

The EHCS is a national survey of housing in England, commissioned by Communities and Local Government. It covers all tenures and involves a physical inspection of property by professional surveyors. The information obtained through the survey provides an accurate picture of the type and condition of housing in England, the people living there, and their views on housing and their neighbourhoods. Links to the national house condition surveys carried out in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are provided elsewhere on this page.

Communities and Local Government also has a complementary housing survey, the Survey of English Housing (SEH), which collects a range of detailed household information.

The EHCS consists of a number of component surveys, outlined below. Relevant details for each component survey are provided in the appropriate reports.

Interview Survey

An interview is first conducted with the householder. The interview topics include: household characteristics, satisfaction with the home and the area, disability and adaptations to the home, work done to the property and income details.

There are also different questions for each tenure. For example, renters are asked about responsibilities for repairs and maintenance and their satisfaction with the services they receive. All interviewees are guaranteed confidentiality and all data is anonymised.

Physical Survey

The interview is followed by a visual inspection of the property, both internally and externally, by a qualified surveyor. Data collected includes the number and type of rooms and facilities contained in the property, the condition of a wide range of aspects of the physical structure, details of the heating systems, and parking provision, and assessment of neighbourhood quality. Where there are shared facilities and common areas, these are also assessed.

Market Value Survey

This is a desk-based exercise providing two market valuations for each of the core cases. The first gives the market value of the property in its current condition. The second gives the valuation if necessary repairs (identified from the Physical survey) were undertaken. Valuers also provide information about the housing market in the immediate neighbourhood in which the property is situated.

Private Landlord Survey

When the Interview Survey identifies that a property is privately rented, the interviewee is asked for permission to approach the landlord. When permission is granted, and the landlord agrees to be interviewed, a follow-up interview takes place. The survey collects information on landlord experiences and attitudes, what type of landlord they are, how many properties they have, why and how they became landlords, and whether they intend to continue renting out property.