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Housing Statistics 2006

Published 14 December 2006

This annual 2006 compendium of statistics, published today, covers all aspects of housing.

This annual 2006 compendium of statistics, published today, covers all aspects of housing and includes the following highlights:

  • Over 163,000 new dwellings (excluding conversions and change of use) were completed in England during the financial year ending 31 March 2005, a rise of five per cent on the previous year. This is the fourth consecutive year where there has been a significant increase over the previous year. Overall there has been a 25 per cent increase since 2001-02.
  • Overall, the total stock in England rose to 21.8 million, with 1.5 million of those being added over the past 10 years. Seventy per cent (15.4 million) of all dwellings were owner-occupied, and eighteen per cent (4 million) were rented from a local authority or registered social landlord. The remainder - 2.5 million - were rented privately. Over 1.6 million more dwellings are owner-occupied than in 1995.
  • House prices continued to rise in 2005, though at the slowest rate since 1996. House prices in England rose by an average of five per cent in 2005. The three northern regions (North East, North West and Yorkshire and The Humber) and the two Midlands regions (East Midlands and West Midlands) were above this average. The greatest percentage change was in the North East (11 per cent). The rest of the country saw increases of between two and four per cent in 2005. The rate of increase was lower than in 2004 in all regions.
  • House price increases continue to impact on first-time buyers. Of all first-time buyers who bought with a mortgage during 2005 in the UK, nineteen per cent were under the age of 25 - compared to twenty-four per cent in 1995. However it has increased from 16 per cent in 2003. The proportion of all mortgage advances of £100,000 or more in the UK was at 55 per cent in 2005, compared to six per cent in 1995.
  • The number of new cases of homeless households had its lowest quarter since the 1980s, with under 19,500 cases between April and June 2006. An overall downward trend has followed the recent peak in 2003. The number of households in temporary accommodation fell below 100,000 in the last quarter of 2005, and in the 2nd quarter of 2006 was at 94,000, its lowest point since early 2003.
  • Results from the Expenditure and Food Survey (EFS) showed that, on average, general housing expenditure (including rents and mortgage payments but excluding capital payments other than those under repayment mortgage) accounted for 19 per cent of household disposable income. On average for those who have a mortgage, this accounted for just over a quarter of their income.

Notes to editors

1. Housing Statistics 2006 compiled by Communities and Local Government statisticians, can be obtained from TSO, Publication Centre from 14 December, PO Box 29, Norwich NR3 1GN or their website www.tso.co.uk/bookshop. Telephone orders 0870 600 5522, Fax orders 0870 600 5533. ISBN: 0117539724 Price £31. Alternatively, the electronic version can be found by going into the Communities website, select Housing, then Housing Statistics, followed by Housing Statistics by Topic, then Housing statistics annuals and occasional topic summaries, then Housing Statistics Annual. The full address is Housing statistics annuals.

2. This annual volume is a compendium of statistics covering all aspects of housing in England. Much of the data are collected from routine returns from local authorities. Where appropriate, the annual figures would have taken on board any revised quarterly or monthly data previously published. The tables contain data for England as a whole or for Government Office Regions. Where consistent data are available, tables also cover Great Britain and the United Kingdom.

3. Since July 2002, a set of "Live Tables" has been made available on the Communities and Local Government's Housing Statistics web page. These tables are updated regularly. This publication is produced using a selection of the numerous live tables hence it is a "snapshot". The live set tables will be updated as new information becomes available throughout the year. To get the most up-to-data, users are advised to visit the above web page. The equivalent table numbers in the live set are shown on the contents page as well as on each table.

4. For this annual volume, the data tables are grouped under the same ten topics as used by the Live Tables. All data are for England and by financial years unless otherwise stated.

5. This is the seventh edition of Housing Statistics. Previously data were published in Housing and Construction Statistics. Construction information is now published by the DTI in the Construction Statistics Annual.

6. The Housing Statistics Annual will be subject to a review in early 2007. Readers are invited to respond to the readership survey. Details can be found in the introduction of the Annual and on the Housing Statistics Annual section of the Communities and Local Government website. The deadline for responses is 31 January 2007.

7. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer demands.

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