Over 130,000 households in England were living in temporary accommodation at the start of 2025 — a 156% increase since 2010. That figure alone tells you something has gone badly wrong. It means hundreds of thousands of families, including young children, are living in spaces never designed for long-term stays, often with no kitchen of their own, no stability, and no clear date when that changes. I’ve been writing about UK housing policy for long enough to see the same patterns repeat: governments announce targets, builders miss them, and the gap between what people need and what the market delivers keeps widening. The numbers are stark, but the real story is what they mean for the people inside those homes.
Housing isn’t just a roof. It determines whether you can afford to heat your home, whether your child has a safe place to sleep, and whether you can move for a better job. When housing fails, everything else gets harder. The UK now sits near the bottom of a 21-country comparison for healthy life expectancy, ahead only of the US, and housing is one of the most powerful causes. This isn’t a niche problem — it affects millions of households across every region. Here’s what you actually need to know.
If you’re a renter struggling with costs or a homeowner worried about the market, understanding how we got here helps you make better decisions. I’ve also written about why UK housebuilders can’t keep up with demand, which explains one of the root causes. And if you’re dealing with a landlord dispute or tenancy issue, speaking to a tenant landlord lawyer can clarify your rights before things escalate.
What the housing crisis actually means
When I talk about the housing crisis, I’m not referring to one single problem. It’s a collection of connected failures: rising costs, shrinking supply, poor quality, and weak protections. The term gets thrown around a lot, but the English Housing Survey defines it clearly as the conditions that result from a shortage of affordable housing — including longer waits for social housing, more young adults living with parents, and a rise in overcrowding.
Private renters are the group most exposed. They spend the highest share of their income on housing, face shorter tenancies, and have fewer protections than social tenants or owner-occupiers. The average deposit needed to buy a home keeps rising, and the age of first-time buyers keeps climbing. My view is simple: if you’re renting and hoping to buy, you’re competing against a system that wasn’t built for you. Understanding that helps you plan realistically rather than chasing an impossible target.
Why the housing crisis matters for your health and finances
The link between housing and health is not abstract. The Building Research Establishment estimates poor housing costs the NHS £1.4 billion each year, with more than half of that attributed to cold homes. Cold homes increase the risk of respiratory illness, cardiovascular problems, and poor mental health. They are especially dangerous for older people, babies, and those with existing conditions. If you’re living in a home you can’t afford to heat properly, that’s not just uncomfortable — it’s a direct health risk.
Consider a private renter on a low income. They spend 34% of their earnings on rent. To keep costs down, they move to a cheaper property that turns out to be damp and poorly insulated. They cut back on heating to afford food. The damp triggers their child’s asthma. They fall behind on rent because of medical bills. The landlord issues a Section 21 notice. They end up in temporary accommodation. That chain of events is not hypothetical — it plays out across the country every day.
The English Housing Survey shows a growing disparity between households. A smaller but substantial group is struggling with finances and increasingly exposed to risk, while others remain comfortable with savings or housing equity. The gap is widening, and housing is the dividing line.
What I notice is that people often underestimate how much housing insecurity affects their long-term health. The cognitive burden of worrying about eviction, arrears, or the next rent increase is a direct health risk. Recent evidence even suggests that insecure housing can result in measurably faster biological ageing, equivalent to the effects of smoking. If you’re in an unstable rental situation, that stress isn’t just in your head — it’s changing your body.
Where policy keeps failing
The policy response to the housing crisis has been fragmented and slow. Governments have focused on supply numbers — how many homes were built — without paying enough attention to who those homes are for, where they are located, and whether they are affordable. The result is a system that produces homes people can’t afford in places they don’t want to live.
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| Policy area | What went wrong | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Social housing supply | Stock has declined for decades | More people forced into expensive private rentals |
| Private rental standards | Enforcement is weak and inconsistent | Millions of homes still have serious health and safety hazards |
| Affordable housing targets | Definitions are too broad | “Affordable” often means 80% of market rent — still unaffordable for many |
| Temporary accommodation | Used as a long-term solution | Over 130,000 households stuck in unsuitable housing |
Declining social housing stock
Historically, social housing provided a safety net for people unable to access good quality affordable housing on the open market. But the stock has declined, meaning more households depend on the private rented sector, where quality, size, and location depend much more directly on income. The rise of the private rented sector this century has exposed more households to higher costs, shorter tenancies, and fewer protections.
Weak enforcement of standards
Millions of homes in England still contain serious health and safety hazards. Cold, damp, mould, disrepair, poor ventilation, and unsafe homes are directly linked to respiratory illness, cardiovascular risk, and mental health problems. Local authorities have the power to enforce standards, but funding cuts and staffing shortages mean many hazards go unchecked. If you’re renting and your landlord isn’t fixing problems, you can report them to your local council’s environmental health department — but be prepared for a slow process.
The Renters’ Rights Act doesn’t go far enough
The Renters’ Rights Act increases security but does not remove “no fault” evictions altogether and does little to protect tenants from economic pressures that can result in eviction. The cognitive burden of worrying about eviction, arrears, or the next rent increase remains a direct health risk. If you’re facing eviction, speaking to a tenant landlord lawyer can help you understand your options before things escalate.
Temporary accommodation as a public health failure
The number of people in temporary accommodation has risen 156% since 2010. Living in temporary accommodation was a contributing factor in the deaths of at least 104 children in England between 2019 and 2025, 76 of whom were under one year of age. This is not about housing quality alone — it reflects multiple risks brought together: poverty, overcrowding, poor conditions, instability, lack of space for safe infant sleep, and poor access to services. Emerging evidence also links temporary accommodation with stillbirth and neonatal death.
What can actually be done
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The solutions are not mysterious. Housing policy must become health policy. That means investing in social housing, enforcing decent standards in the private rented sector, making homes warmer and safer, and recognising temporary accommodation, overcrowding, and insecurity as public health failures. Here are the practical actions that would make a real difference.
Invest in social housing at scale
The decline in social rented housing is the single biggest structural failure. Building more social homes would reduce pressure on the private rental market, give people security, and cut the NHS bill for treating housing-related illness. The government needs to treat social housing as infrastructure — not a cost, but an investment that pays back in better health, higher productivity, and lower public spending elsewhere. If you want to support this, write to your MP and ask what their party’s plan is for social housing numbers in your area.
Enforce decent standards in private rentals
Local authorities need more funding and staff to inspect properties and enforce the law. Tenants should be able to request an inspection without fear of retaliation. If you’re renting and your home has damp, mould, or other hazards, document everything with photos and dates, then report it to your local council’s environmental health team. You can also check if your landlord is registered with a recognised accreditation scheme. A Wi-Fi water leak detector can alert you to damp problems early, giving you evidence before the damage gets worse.
Make homes warmer and more efficient
Cold homes cost the NHS hundreds of millions each year. Improving insulation, upgrading heating systems, and enforcing minimum energy efficiency standards would reduce illness, cut energy bills, and lower carbon emissions. The government’s Warm Home Discount and Energy Company Obligation schemes help some households, but eligibility is narrow. If you’re struggling with heating costs, check whether you qualify for the Warm Home Discount through your energy supplier. A carbon monoxide alarm is essential if you’re using alternative heating sources to save money.
Treat temporary accommodation as a public health emergency
No child should die because of the housing they live in. The government must set a clear target to reduce temporary accommodation numbers, with dedicated funding for move-on accommodation and support services. Local authorities should be required to report on the health outcomes of families in temporary accommodation, not just the numbers. If you’re in temporary accommodation and struggling, contact Shelter or your local Citizens Advice for help challenging unsuitable placements.
Frequently asked questions
Does the housing crisis affect homeowners too? ▾
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Is the housing crisis worse in some parts of the UK? ▾
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Sources and Further Reading
Is shared ownership a viable path to homeownership in the UK? — Explores one of the most common alternatives for people priced out of the open market, including the trade-offs and hidden costs.
First-time buyer traps: avoiding the pitfalls in the UK market — Practical guide to the mistakes that cost first-time buyers time and money, from survey issues to mortgage surprises.
How Britain’s housing crisis contributes to its declining healthy life expectancy. The Conversation, 2025.
English Housing Survey 2023 to 2024: experiences of the housing crisis. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 2025.
