One in six young adults live in poor housing, UK study shows
One in six young adults in the UK are living in poor-quality housing, according to research that says damp, draughty and cramped living conditions are harming the physical and mental health of millions.
Resolution Foundation said Britain was facing a twin housing crisis as soaring rents and mortgage payments added to the pressure on people living in substandard accommodation, with young adults bearing the brunt.
The thinktank found that up to 2.6 million people aged 18-34 were living in poor-quality housing – defined as homes that were not in a good state of repair, where heating, electrics or plumbing were not in full working order and where damp was present.
Up to one in 10 people across the UK – 6.5 million in total – live in such properties, according to the report, with the highest concentrations among young people, low-income families and those from minority ethnic backgrounds.
The report comes amid growing concern over the dilapidated state of housing in Britain since the Awaab Ishak case, in which a social landlord’s failure to treat mould was found to have caused the death of a two-year-old boy in Rochdale, Lancashire.
The housing ombudsman has warned that the number of complaints about damp and leaks from social housing tenants in England is on course to more than double for last year compared with 2020-21. Government figures also show almost a quarter of private rentals in England fail to meet the decent home standards.
Resolution Foundation said young adults were disproportionately more likely to be living in poor-quality housing, affecting 18% of 18- to 34-year-olds compared with 6% of people over 45.
According to the research, based on a YouGov survey of more than 10,000 adults across the UK, supported by the
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