The failure to build enough social housing is leaving families £8,000 a year worse off

Families are falling £8,000 short of a decent standard of living every year because the UK does not have enough social housing.

New research from Loughborough University found single-parent families with two children now need to earn a minimum of £67,600 in order to rent privately and maintain a decent standard of living.

This figure is compared to £59,800 for those living in social housing – a difference of almost £8,000 per year. 

The university’s minimum income standard (MIS) produces budgets for different household types, based on what members of the public think you need for a minimum acceptable standard of living in the UK.

It marks the first time in the study’s 18-year-history where members of the public in MIS focus groups agreed it is no longer reasonable to assume any of the MIS household types would be able to access a social home if they needed it.

The JRF, an independent social change organisation that funded the research, believe that the results suggest that the public are beginning to question whether they are able to rely on their government to provide them with social housing in times of need.

Darren Baxter, housing lead at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, who fund the work, said: “We are no longer living in a world where privately rented homes are a temporary pit stop for young, single professionals. They’re now the homes where families are bringing up their children, from babies to teenagers, as well as where people are growing old. But the eye-watering rents that people are paying are denying them the stable foundation they need for a good life.

“Families can’t wait the decades it will take for the new homes currently being built to have an impact on their rents – their children will be adults by then. But unaffordable private rents aren’t a given. Rent controls would be the solution that would give families security and stability, and they should be implemented without delay.”

It is not just single-parent families that the rising cost of housing is affecting. The study also found that couples with two children now need £77,400 per year between them to reach MIS when renting privately, compared to £73,600 in social housing.

Big Issue reported last week on prime minister Andy Burnham’s promised council house revolution, with Labour attempting to deliver 1.5 million new homes whilst in power. These are urgently needed across the country in order to reduce the current waiting list backlogs; demolitions and sell offs meant that 2025 saw a net loss of nearly 4,000 social homes across England.

Read more:

• The horrific state of our social housing is a stain on the nation. There’s only one way to fix it
• The Conservatives want to cut housing benefit to fund defence spending. But will it work?
• If food prices had risen like rents since 1988, a block of cheese would cost £20

Dr Chloe Blackwell, senior research associate at the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University, urged prime minister Burnham to make tackling the rising cost of housing a priority for his government.

She said: “While a renewed commitment to improving living standards in the UK, signalled by [Burham], is good news for low-income households, tackling the high and rising cost of housing needs to be at the forefront of any plans to reduce the cost of living.

“Private renting has become the only real option for more and more people in the UK, with many households facing crippling costs just to keep a roof over their heads. If this continues, we can expect to see the gap between incomes and needs widen further, leaving even more households far short of reaching a decent standard of living.”

Housing secretary Angela Rayner has confirmed the Burnham government will not introduce rent controls, citing protections under the Renters’ Rights Act. But pro-renter campaigners are set to hold a protest outside parliament on Wednesday (9 September) to voice their disagreement.

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