Latest thinking on … family

Almost a quarter of the 1.25m households on local authority registers in England require homes with three or more bedrooms. So overcrowding is a big problem. Children share a bedroom with their parents in 75% of overcrowded homes, according to the latest research into social rented housing by Shelter. The survey shows that in more than a quarter of overcrowded homes, children are sleeping in rooms other than bedrooms.

Is the problem getting better?

No. Data from 2002/03 shows the same proportion of overcrowded households in England as there was in 1996/97 – at 2.5%.

Why are families living in overcrowded conditions?

Most of the families said that the lack of larger affordable properties was the main reason for their plight. “There are very few large council properties with four bedrooms,” said one survey respondent.

What was Shelter's survey based on?

The survey was based on questionnaire responses from 505 overcrowded households in Luton, Leicester, Bradford and the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Islington and Southwark.

What are councils doing to help remedy the problem?

Islington and Tower Hamlets councils prioritise under-occupying tenants for rehousing. Tower Hamlets also gives a cash allowance to under-occupying tenants for moving, paying £500 for each bedroom freed up and an extra £1000 if the home is four bedrooms or larger.

Is this an adequate solution?

It helps, but Shelter says it isn’t the whole solution. In London overcrowded households outnumber under-occupied households by almost two to one.

What action does Shelter want?

It is calling for a series of measures to be adopted, including:

• A new overcrowding standard to be introduced.
• The planning system to provide a better match between size and type of affordable homes needed with those provided.
• Higher-density schemes to include larger-sized dwellings
• An emergency housing acquisitions programme in areas where overcrowding is most acute.