Number of owner-occupiers in England fall

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Last year saw a record annual decrease in the number of owner-occupied households in England.

According to Halifax, government figures revealed that between 2006 and 2007 the number of owner-occupiers fell by 83,000 to 14.538 million.

2007 was the second successive year in which owner-occupied household numbers decreased.

It was also discovered that last year saw the number of households living in privately rented housing increase by 4.3 per cent to reach almost 2.6 million.

This follows the upward trend observed in the private rented sector over the past five years.

Commenting on the figures, Martin Ellis, chief economist at Halifax, said: "The fall in the total number of owner-occupied households in England in 2007 largely reflects the increasing affordability difficulties faced by many potential purchasers as a result of the rapid rise in house prices in recent years.

"The figures for owner-occupancy clearly demonstrate that these affordability issues are most pronounced amongst younger people and in Southern parts of England."

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