London's housing crisis is making our capital city unaffordable to live in for millions. Use this page to explore data on the cost of housing in London, homelessness and types of housing.
Number of people in London in poverty by housing tenure (2004/05 - 2022/23)
Last updated: August 2024
Next estimated update: June 2025
What’s this?
This indicator shows the number of people in poverty in London, split by their housing tenure.
What does it tell us?
A declining number of social renters in poverty
The number of Londoners in poverty who live in social housing has been in decline since 2019/20. In 2022/23, 760,000 people who live in social housing in London were in poverty - the lowest number in the 20 years recorded here. However, the poverty rate for those in social rented housing is still extremely high, at 49% in 2022/23.
Londoners in poverty are more likely to be private renters
870,000 people living in private rented housing were in poverty in 2022/23, around the same as pre-pandemic. However, this number is more than twice as high as it was two decades ago (430,000 in 2004/05). In 2004/05, Londoners …
Number of children in poverty by housing tenure in London (2004/05 - 2022/23)
Last updated: August 2024
Next estimated update: June 2025
What does this indicator show?
This indicator shows the number of children growing up in poverty in London, split by their housing tenure.
What does it tell us?
Since 2004/05, the number of children in poverty in London who live in private rented accommodation has increased almost threefold to its current level of 280,000 in 2022/23. The proportion of children in poverty in London who live in the private rented sector has increased from 17% in 2004/05 to 42% in 2022/23. (Note: data are excluded for 2020/21 due to survey quality concerns because of COVID-19.)
While the number of children in poverty in this group has increased, the poverty rate within this group has decreased over the years; in 2004/05 the poverty rate for children in private rented accommodation in London was 56% and in…
Tenure types of London households over time (1961-2021)
Last updated: December 2024
What does this indicator show?
This indicator shows the proportion of households that were owned or rented through the social or private rented sectors. We use data from the census, starting in 1961 and up to the most recent one, in 2021.
What does it tell us?
30.1% of London’s households are privately rented - the highest proportion since 1971. The proportion of London households in private rented accommodation was at its peak in 1961 (45.5%) and decreased to 13.9% in 1991. Since then, it has increased each decade to its current level.
The opposite trend is seen in both owner occupied housing and social housing. The proportion of London households which were owner-occupied was increasing from the 1960s and until the early nineties, when the rates of home ownership peaked at 57.2% in 1991. However, home ownership r…
Housing costs as proportion of net income for households in poverty (2022/23)
Last updated: May 2024
Next estimated update: May 2025
What does this indicator show?
This indicator shows how much of a household’s income is spent on housing costs - split by households in poverty and not in poverty.
What does it tell us?
Households living in poverty are spending a significantly larger proportion of their net income on housing costs than households not living in poverty. This is true both in London and in the rest of England.
London households in poverty are estimated, on average, to spend 54% of their total net income on housing costs. In comparison, those living in households which are not in poverty spend just 11% on average.
The trend is similar in the rest of England with households in poverty spending 32% of their income on housing compared to 8% for those not in poverty, but the gap is much smaller than in the capit…
Proportions of people in poverty before and after housing costs (2022/23)
What does this indicator show?
Poverty can be measured both with and without housing costs taken into account. Housing costs can include rent or mortgage payments, building insurance and water rates.
This indicator shows the percentage of people in poverty in London and the rest of England - after and before housing costs are taken into account. By looking at poverty rates before and after housing costs, we can see how much of an impact housing costs have on pushing people into poverty.
What does it tell us?
In London, poverty rates increase significantly when housing costs are accounted for, increasing the poverty rate from 14% to 24%. In the rest of England, the difference is much smaller, increasing the percentage of people in poverty from 17% to 21%. This shows that, compared to the rest of England, high housing costs are a much more sig…
London poverty rates before and after housing costs (1996/97 - 2022/23)
Last updated: May 2024
Next estimated update: May 2025
What does this indicator show?
Poverty can be measured both with and without housing costs taken into account. Housing costs can include rent or mortgage payments, building insurance and water rates.
This indicator shows the percentage of people in poverty in London and the rest of England over the years - after and before housing costs are taken into account. By looking at poverty rates before and after housing costs, we can see how much of an impact housing costs have on pushing people into poverty.
What does it tell us?
The proportion of people living in poverty in London increases significantly when housing costs are taken into account rising from 14% to 24%.
This gap between before and after housing costs measures of poverty is much larger in the capital than in the rest of the countr…
Monthly rent by sector in London and England (2022/23)
Rent is much more expensive in London than in the rest of England, across all sectors.
A one-bedroom home in the lower quartile of the private market (i.e. a property that is more affordable than 75% of others in London) cost £1,100 in 2022/23 - compared to £560 in the rest of England.
The median monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in London was £1,280 in 2022/23 and £720 in the rest of the country. At £700 per month for affordable housing and £450 for social rent, non-market tenures are cheaper than the private sector. They are, however, still more expensive in London than in the rest of the country.
Private rents have increased significantly since 2009/10, rising by 31% in London, after taking account of inflation. This is faster than the 28% rise in rents seen in the rest of England. Social rents were increasing at a similar rate until 2…
Rent for a one bedroom dwelling as a percentage of gross pay by London borough (October 2022 to September 2023)
In every London borough the average rent for a one-bedroom home on the private market is at least one third of median pre-tax pay in London. The average cost for a one-bedroom home is the equivalent of almost half (46%) the gross-median pay in London.
The least affordable boroughs are Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea, where it costs 75% and 73% respectively of the median London pay to rent a one-bedroom home on average. Outer London boroughs including Bexley, Havering, and Sutton have the lowest average rents, at around a third of earnings. In England as a whole, the average one-bedroom property is a quarter (25%) of average earnings.
People sleeping rough in London (2008/09 - 2023/24)
What does this indicator show?
This indicator shows the total number of people seen sleeping rough in London, by year. This information comes from CHAIN, a database about people sleeping rough in London maintained by charity outreach workers. It contains a record for everyone known to staff and volunteers throughout the specified year.
Further down the page you’ll find the number of people sleeping rough in London by ethnicity and gender.
What does it tell us?
The number of people sleeping rough in London more than tripled between 2008/09 and 2020/21 from around 3,472 to 11,018. 2021/22 saw the number fall back somewhat to 8,329 but it has increased again reaching 11,993 in 2023/24.
The number of people seen sleeping rough in London increased in both 2019/20 and 2020/21, despite initiatives like “Everybody In” which aimed to ensure that peopl…
People seen sleeping rough by outreach workers by borough (2023/24)
People sleeping rough by London boroughs
Outcomes of homelessness initial assessment per 1,000 households (2023/24)
Last updated: November 2024
Next estimated update: November 2025
What does this indicator show?
When a household becomes homeless, or is at risk of homelessness, their local authority owes them a duty. There are three main types of homelessness duties:
- Prevention duty: Local authorities owe prevention duties to help stop households at risk of homelessness losing their accommodation.
- Relief duty: If a household is homeless, the local authority owes them a relief duty to provide some sort of accommodation.
- Main duty: The main homelessness duty to provide accommodation (which until 2018 was the only statutory duty owed to homeless households) comes into effect when the relief duty has failed and accommodation has not been secured.
Graphs on this page show how many people were owed homelessness duties in London compared to the rest of England - an…
Number of households London boroughs owe homelessness duties to by type of duty (2002/03 - 2023/24)
Last updated: November 2024
Next estimated update: November 2025
What’s this indicator?
This indicator looks at the number of households owed support (called a ‘duty’) by their local authority over time, and the type of duty owed.
Until 2018, local authorities only had statutory duties to support households that were classed as being in ‘priority need’. This might include, for example, households that include children or a pregnant woman. Since 2018, when the Homelessness Reduction Act (2017) (HRA) was introduced, local authorities have three main types of duties towards households at risk of homelessness:
- Prevention duty: Local authorities owe prevention duties to help stop households at risk of homelessness losing their accommodation.
- Relief duty: If a household is homeless, the local authority owes them a relief duty to provide some sort o…
Homelessness duties owed by London boroughs (2024 Q2)
Last updated: December 2024
Next estimated update: February 2025
What’s this indicator?
This indicator looks at the three types of statutory duties that local authorities owe households at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
Prevention duty
Local authorities owe prevention duties to help stop households at risk of homelessness losing their accommodation. In the first quarter of 2024, Croydon owed the most households a prevention duty, at 5.28 per 1,000 households.
Relief duty
If a household is homeless, the local authority owes them a relief duty to provide some sort of accommodation. Newham was the borough that owed the most households a relief duty, at 4.86 per 1,000 households compared to the London average of 2.68.
Main duty
The main homelessness duty to provide accommodation (which until 2018 was the only statutory duty owed to homeless ho…
Temporary accommodation types in London (2002-2024 Q2)
Last updated: February 2025
Next estimated update: May 2025
What does this indicator show?
When someone becomes homeless, their local authority has a legal duty to provide them with accommodation. While they are waiting for a permanent solution - such as a home provided by a housing association - local authorities must house them in temporary accommodation. This can be many types of accommodation - such as nightly accommodation, the private rented sector or a bed and breakfast.
This indicator shows the number of households placed in temporary accommodation by year, and the type of accommodation used. You can also use it to see how many households were placed in temporary accommodation in another local authority district, and how many had a duty owed, but for which their local authority were unable to find any accommodation.
What does it tell …
Proportion of households in temporary accommodation in London boroughs (2024 Q2)
Last updated: December 2024
Next estimated update: February 2025
What’s this indicator?
When a household becomes homeless, their local authority has legal duties to provide them with accommodation. While they await a permanent solution, local authorities house people in temporary accommodation.
What does it tell us?
Every borough in London has a higher proportion of households living in temporary accommodation than the average in England.
Newham has by far the highest rate of households in temporary accommodation - for every 1,000 households, 52.31 are living in temporary accommodation. Other boroughs with high rates include Southwark (26.99 per 1,000 households) and Redbridge (26.98 per 1,000 households). In contrast Hounslow (5.16 per 1,000 households) and Camden (5.47 per 1,000 households) have some of the lowest rates.
Housed in different …
Types of court repossession in London (2003-2024)
Last updated: February 2025
Next estimated update: May 2025
What does this indicator show?
This indicator shows the number of repossessions of properties in London by year.
What does it tell us?
The total number of repossessions in London during 2024 was 9,552. This means that the total number of repossessions in London was higher in 2024 than it was before the pandemic (in 2019). During the pandemic, various protection schemes meant that the number of repossessions significantly reduced.
There were 4,682 Section 21 (“no fault”) evictions in London in 2024. This is higher than any other year since 2018.
Repossessions for people with mortgages have almost disappeared in London over the past decade, falling from over 3,604 a year in 2009 to 381 in 2019. This was possibly caused by low interest rates and has remained low post pandemic.
Want to know…
Total repossessions by county court bailiffs in London boroughs (2023 Q4 - 2024 Q3)
Last updated: December 2024
Next update: February 2025
What’s this?
This indicator shows the number of repossessions and evictions per 1,000 people, in each London borough. The most recent data reflects four quarters, up to Q3 of 2024. However, since evictions were paused during the pandemic, we have retained the 2019 data for reference.
What does it tell us?
In 2023/24, the rate of repossessions continued to remain lower than in 2019 across most (19) boroughs. In 16 boroughs there was a higher rate of evictions and repossessions than pre-pandemic.
The highest rates of repossessions were recorded in Newham, with 5.45 repossessions per 1,000 households and Croydon with 4.22 per 1,000 households. Newham had one of the highest rates of repossessions before the pandemic as well, with 4.50 repossessions per 1,000 respectively in 2019. The lowest…
Barriers to Housing and Services, rebased for London (2019)
Last updated: February 2025
Next update: January 2026 (TBC)
What does this indicator show?
This indicator shows the barriers to housing and services experienced in London’s neighbourhoods. It uses the English Indices of Deprivation, which gives each neighbourhood an overall deprivation score. It does this by combining data from seven areas known as domains, one of which is ‘Barriers to Housing & Services’ which relates both to the physical proximity of local services, as well as ‘wider barriers’ which includes issues relating to access to housing such as affordability and homelessness.
For this indicator, we have excluded all non-London neighbourhoods and divided them into five equal groups - known as quintiles. This allows us to quickly see which areas of London face the most barriers to housing and services. Darker neighbourhoods face …