Analysis and action on living standards
Housing matters for family living standards both in the here and now, and in the future. Here, we provide national and regional indicators tracking housing tenure; the number of families with children living in the private rented sector; and day-to-day housing costs.
While tenure change often captures the headlines, an even greater problem threatening day-to-day living standards is the pressure from housing costs on family finances. The data in this section shows increases in the share of income that housing costs took up prior to the financial crisis. It also sets out what this change means for housing-cost-to-income ratios across age groups, tenure types, income groups, regions of the UK and including and excluding housing benefit.
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Family units are defined as any single or couple adults and their dependent children. Housing costs are calculated net of housing benefit such that housing benefit is excluded from both income and housing costs. Income is net income after taxes have been deducted but before housing benefit is deducted. Income and housing costs assumed to be shared equally between family units within each household.
RF analysis of DWP, Family Resources Survey
Family units are defined as any single or couple adults and their dependent children. Housing costs are calculated net of housing benefit such that housing benefit is excluded from both income and housing costs. Income is net income after taxes have been deducted but before housing benefit is deducted. Income and housing costs assumed to be shared equally between family units within each household. ’Non-working’ individuals are those non-working and in the bottom half of the income distribution.
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