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An estimated 10 million people across England will spend this Christmas in a home blighted by cold and hazards, according to new research.
Analysis by the Centre for Ageing Better and Care & Repair England found that there are 4.3 million non-decent homes in England, almost half of which are occupied by someone over the age of 55. Around 15% of all wheelchair users live in a non-decent home.
The charities estimated that around 10 million people are living in unsuitable properties.
The most common reason for homes to be classed as non-decent is the presence of a serious hazard that poses a risk to the occupants’ health or safety, such as excess cold or something that could cause a fall. More than a million over-55s are living in a home with at least one such problem.
The analysis also found that the number of households aged over 75 in non-decent homes is rising. The number has increased from an estimated 533,000 in 2012 to 701,000 in 2017.
Those aged 75 or over are disproportionately likely to be living in a non-decent home, with more than one in five affected.
The research also found that poor housing costs the NHS £1.4bn a year, with £513m spent for every year of treatment costs for older people living in the poorest housing.
Around 78% of homes in a poor condition that house someone aged over 55 are owner-occupied. Many who were able to afford to buy houses as a result of changes to national housing policy and financial products in the 1970s and 1980s, such as the Right to Buy, are now in or reaching retirement, living on or anticipating limited pensions.
As a result they struggle to maintain or repair those homes, the research found.
Previous funding to address housing disrepair, such as means-tested grants for lower-income homeowners, has been withdrawn in recent years, compounding the problem.
Anna Dixon, chief executive of the Centre for Ageing Better, said: “These truly shocking figures should be a wake-up call to us all. In the 21st century, nobody should be living in a home that puts them at risk of a dangerous fall, or is so damp it gives them breathing problems. And yet today millions across the country are living in these appalling conditions.”
She called on the government to take action to improve conditions.
Sue Adams, chief executive of Care & Repair England, said: “The prevalence of poor housing across England is shocking but it is not inevitable. Great improvements have been made to living conditions in the past and we must once again take action to tackle housing disrepair.”