Lockdown housing report

Lockdown housing report points to bleak winter in the North

As the North faces up to a winter of Covid restrictions, a new report detailing the very challenging conditions faced during the first lockdown by Northerners living in poor quality housing has been published today.

The report sets out how issues such as disrepair, cold homes and lack of space were exacerbated during national lockdown, impacting upon residents’ physical and mental health.

Residents in the private rented sector faced particular challenges, with many tenants experiencing deteriorating conditions. 

Fears over being seen as a problem to landlords meant some tenants didn’t report repairs, fearing eviction or rent reprisals from landlords.

Home energy costs were a major source of anxiety for residents, who told researchers how they faced impossible choices, prioritising rent, heat and food in that order. The report found that the lockdown created more energy vulnerability for a wider spectrum of the population than was the case pre-pandemic.

The study sets the scene for even more challenging conditions as winter approaches and homes get colder and people face the prospect of spending more time indoors.

The report is the result of research by the University of Huddersfield who interviewed residents across the North from May to July 2020, just months after lockdown restrictions were introduced in England to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

The Northern Housing Consortium, who supported the report, are calling for the government to take immediate steps to keep people afloat this winter, and a longer-term focus on the quality of the North’s existing homes.

Tracy Harrison, CEO of the Northern Housing Consortium said:

“This report shows that – far from being safe at home – too many Northerners have spent lockdown in homes that have harmed their health.  The immediate priority must be strengthening the safety net to keep people afloat this winter – but in the longer term we must learn lessons from lockdown and renew our housing stock so that everyone in the North has a decent place to call home.”

Academics at the University of Huddersfield, who conducted the research, say we must learn from this experience and make improving housing quality a positive legacy of the pandemic.

Professor Philip Brown, Professor of Housing and Communities at the University of Huddersfield comments:

“The Covid-19 crisis has amplified many of the issues that our communities were already facing, but this research details just how difficult life has become for Northerners living in homes which have ongoing quality issues. It is clear from this research that rundown properties are resulting in rundown people”

The stories we heard about the steps people are taking to cope were shocking. People are getting by as best they can but the impact of poor-quality housing on people is enormous. The report is released at the very time those people we spoke to were most afraid of. It is increasingly cold, many properties will still be in poor repair, living costs are increased and people are grappling with increased financial insecurity. Those with the power to bring about change must take urgent action to reduce this insecurity and prevent adding to the numbers of people already homeless in the North.”

The research was funded with support from the Nationwide Foundation’s Transforming the Private Rented Sector programme. The Nationwide Foundation has a commitment to transforming the private rented sector so that it provides homes for people in need that are more affordable, secure, accessible and are better quality.

Bridget Young, Programme Manager from the Nationwide Foundation said:

“We have a long-term commitment to exploring what’s working in the UK’s private rented sector and what needs to change. It’s our view that Covid-19, as well as presenting new and unexpected problems has exacerbated an already difficult situation for many private renters.”

“When locked down for any period, issues with disrepair or lack of space become even more of a concern. This research adds to the growing body of work that evidences the state of the UK’s private rented sector; a sector that is too often expensive, poor quality and risks being damaging to health.”

An executive summary and full version of the report can be found by visiting www.northern-consortium.org.uk

Sample quotes from the report:

On heating costs

“Yes, I just feel like because of the lockdown, the days when we are inside the house, the children like to be warm, so I put the heating on a lot more often. I just feel like the costs are just excruciating really, it's very expensive having to keep topping up the heating costs.” (36 year-old private renter, Manchester)  

 On anxiety caused by poor conditions:

“I'd say probably lockdown has heightened the stress that I feel from this because all it is, I see it every day, every minute of every day, so it's probably heightened my stress for sure, and probably made me feel a lot worse than I would normally. If that makes sense.” (22 year-old private renter, Manchester)

On lack of space/sharing in lockdown

“During lockdown it's been extremely challenging not being able to go outside; isolating yourself in a room; using a smartphone to watch videos, to watch films. Then during the day, not being able to use the bathroom; sharing with other tenants a kitchen; it has been extremely challenging adapting all of these measures.” (30 year-old private renter, Huddersfield)