Census 2021: Rise in private renting in Mansfield

The figures from the 2021 census come as housing campaign group Generation Rent urges the Government to deliver on its promise of a better deal for private tenants.

Office for National Statistics figures show 9,065 households were renting privately in Mansfield when the census was carried out in March 2021, 18.9 per cent of the area’s 48,031 households.

At the time of the previous census in March 2011, 13.6 per cent of households were private renters, meaning the share has increased over the past decade.

Across England and Wales, there are now five million private renters, 20.3 per cent of households, up from 3.9m, 16.7 per cent, in 2011.

Dan Wilson Craw, of Generation Rent, said these tenants are “paying high rents to private landlords, face a much greater risk of living in a poor-quality home and live with the threat of eviction at short notice”.

He said, despite the Government recognising the need for reforms in the sector – such as abolishing so-called “no-fault” evictions – it is yet introduce legislation to properly support private tenants.

Separate ONS and Valuation Office Agency figures show median private rent in the East Midlands was £625 a month as of March 2021, up 26.3 per cent from £495 in June 2011.

Homelessness charity Shelter said the “only lasting solution” to the housing crisis is to build more social homes.

There has been little change in the amount of social housing in the past decade. While the number of households in social homes increased from 4.1m to 4.2m, the proportion actually fell, from 17.6 per cent of households to 17.1 per cent.

The census figures also suggest it may be getting harder to join the housing ladder.

The number of households owning their home through a mortgage, loan or shared ownership has dropped across England and Wales, from 7.8m, 33.5 per cent of households, in 2011, to 7.4m, 29.7 per cent, last year.

The same was true of Mansfield, where the share of households with mortgages or shared ownership fell from 34.3 per cent in 2011 to 29.8 per cent last year.

A Department of Levelling up, Housing and Communities spokesman said: “Ensuring a fair deal for renters remains a priority for the government.”