UK statistics
UK Home Ownership Rate 2026: English Housing Survey Breakdown
The English Housing Survey 2024-25 (the most recent published) put owner occupation at 65% of all English households - 36% outright owners (no mortgage) + 29% mortgagors. Private rented sector 19%, social rented 16%. The outright-owners share has risen from 33% in 2013-14 as Baby Boomers age into mortgage-free ownership; the mortgagors share has fallen as first-time buyers struggle with deposit requirements.
Headline numbers
- Owner-occupied households (England)
- 65%
- Outright owners
- 36%
- Private rented sector
- 19%
EHS 2024-25
up from 33% in 2013-14
England 2024-25
The detail
The English Housing Survey 2024-25 (gov.uk, published 2026) put owner occupation at 65% of all English households - meaning two-thirds of England's housing stock is owned by its occupants. This is the most reliable single source for the UK home ownership rate; Scotland (62% per Scottish Household Survey 2023) and Wales (71% per StatsWales) sit broadly similar with regional differences.
The 65% figure splits into 36% outright owners (no mortgage) + 29% mortgagors. The outright-owner share has risen steadily from 33% in 2013-14 as Baby Boomers retire and finish their mortgages. The mortgagor share has fallen by approximately 5 percentage points over the same period - a structural shift from a working-age mortgaged population toward an older outright-owner population.
Renting splits 19% private rented sector (PRS) + 16% social rented sector (council + housing association). The PRS has roughly doubled since 1991 (8% share) reflecting the post-2000 Buy-to-Let boom + reduced council house building. The social rented sector has fallen sharply from 31% in 1981 to 16% today, driven by Right to Buy + minimal social housing replacement programmes.
Practical implication: the "two-tier" UK housing market is structural. Outright-owners (typically 60+) hold mortgage-free housing wealth that is locked out of the working-age first-time-buyer market. Working-age households face the highest house price to income ratio in 150 years (Bank of England analysis). Mortgaged owners + private renters compete for the same shrinking working-age affordable stock.
Sources
- gov.uk - English Housing Survey 2024-25 Headline Report (retrieved 2026-06-21)
- gov.uk - English Housing Survey collections (retrieved 2026-06-21)
- Our methodology & full source list →
Related statistics
- Average house price
The ONS House Price Index put the average UK house price at £270,000 in the 12 months to April 2026 - up 3.8%. Country split: England £290,000 (+0.8%), Wales £210,000 (+2.5%), Scotland £187,000 (+2.3%), Northern Ireland £198,000 (+7.4%). London is the only English region with falling prices (-2.1%); the North East is fastest rising at +9.9%.
- Average UK rent
The ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR) put average UK monthly rent at £1,383 in May 2026 - up 3.3% in the year. Annual growth has cooled from the 8-9% peaks of 2023-24 but remains above CPI. England leads at £1,442, Wales £836, Scotland £1,009, Northern Ireland £876.
- Median Household Income
The median UK household has disposable income of £36,700 per year after tax and benefits, equivalised for household size (ONS, financial year ending 2024).