Most Social Tenants Fall below Acceptable Income

More than 90 per cent of households in social housing in England have an income level below that needed to maintain a socially acceptable standard of living, according to a new definition.  The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published a report that calculates a couple with two children need to earn £36,800 to maintain an ‘acceptable standard of living’. The English Housing Survey for 2010/11 shows the income of most social housing tenants falls below this. Ninety per cent of tenants have a household income of less than £30,000, and 6 per cent of the remainder have an income between £30,000 and £40,000. In the private rented sector 65 per cent of households have an income below £30,000, and 45 per cent of household in owner occupation fall below the £30,000 threshold.  Download a copy of the report from the Joseph Rowntree website.