Poor-quality housing is putting the over-50s in England who have health conditions “in harm’s way”, a charity has said, as it said living in a home that damages their health was “the norm for far too many people”.
The Centre for Ageing Better said data analysed on its behalf suggested more than a fifth of people in this age group are living in a poor-quality home that could be making their existing health condition worse.
It said people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, those living in London and those who have a serious health condition or disability are more likely to be affected.
Data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing covering 2022/23 was analysed by the National Centre for Social Research on behalf of the charity.
It found an estimated 4.5 million people aged 50 or older in England with a health condition aggravated by the cold are living in a home with one or more serious problems.
Some 2.8 million were aged between 50 and 70, while 1.7 million were aged 70 and older.
Health conditions included respiratory diseases, congestive heart failure, heart disease and lung conditions, including asthma.
Housing problems identified in the research included damp, water leaks, bad condensation, electrical or plumbing problems, rot and decay.
While some 2.2 million people over 50 with health and housing problems owned their home outright, the biggest proportion of people (51%) with such issues lived in rented accommodation.
The charity said older renters with a health condition were up to three times more likely to have five or more issues with their home than someone in the same age group who owns their home.
Those with a health condition that can be affected by poor housing who had a significant issue in their homes were most likely to live in London (52%) followed by the North East (35%) and the North West (35%), the West Midlands and the East of England (both on 28%), and the South West (27%).
Almost half (46%) of people aged 50 and above from black and minority ethnic backgrounds with one of the health conditions had at least one problem with their home, which the charity said amounted to almost 500,000 people.
Among white people in this age group it was just under one in three (32%).
The research also suggested people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds living with a health condition were also more than twice as likely to have five or more issues with their housing compared with their white counterparts – 15% compared with 6%.
Dr Carole Easton, the charity’s chief executive, said not only does the research show the difficulties faced by those living in poor housing, but it is also “very bad news” for both the economy and the NHS.
She said: “Our latest research shows that our poor-quality housing crisis is putting people with health conditions in their 50s, 60s and beyond, in harm’s way.
“This is obviously terrible for those individuals who live in homes that carry a very real risk of making them sick, particularly when winter comes around.
“But it is also very bad news for the country. Older workers living in homes that are making their health conditions worse are going to be less likely to be able to work and help grow the economy.
“Older people whose serious health conditions are made worse by their homes will require treatment, putting additional winter pressures on our health system.
“All could be averted if we tackled poor-quality housing with the urgency and priority it demands.”
Holly Holder, deputy director for homes at the charity, said the Government must “fix this hidden housing crisis by delivering a national strategy to tackle poor quality housing across all tenures and committing to halving the number of non-decent homes over the next decade”.
She added: “No-one should have to live in a home that damages their health, yet it is the norm for far too many people in England today.
“By failing to address poor-quality homes we are limiting the lives of some of the country’s poorest and most vulnerable people.
“Our new analysis shows that the combination of health and house problems are most likely to impact groups of people who are already disadvantaged by multiple health and wealth inequalities.”
A Government spokesperson said: “Despite the challenging inheritance faced by this Government, through our Plan for Change we’re taking action to improve housing conditions across all tenures and ensure homes are decent, safe and warm – especially for the most vulnerable.
“We’re consulting on reforms to the Decent Homes Standard next year to improve the quality of social and privately rented housing, and introducing Awaab’s Law to both sectors to tackle damp, dangerous and cold conditions for all renters in England.
“Our warm homes plan will also help people find ways to save money on energy bills and deliver cleaner heating, with up to 300,000 households to benefit from upgrades next year.”