The proportion of households in owner-occupation has remained unchanged for the fifth year in a row.
The latest English Housing Survey, which was published yesterday and covers 2017 to 2018, says that of the estimated 23.2m households in England, 14.8m (64%) were owner-occupiers.
Most owner-occupiers, 34% of the total number of households, owned outright, while 30% were buying with a mortgage.
The survey also found that the proportion of 35 to 44-year-olds in owner-occupation had increased, following a long period of decline in this age group.
It says that 57% of those aged 35 to 44 were owner-occupiers, up from 52% the previous year.
Despite this, the proportion of that age group renting privately also rose, from 13% to 28%, while the proportion in the social rented sector slipped to 16%.
Overall the private rented sector accounted for 4.5m (19%) of all households in England – also unchanged for five years.
While the sector has doubled in size since 2002, the rate has hovered at around 19% to 20% since 2013-2014.
Most private tenants (58%) expect to buy their home at some point.
The social rented sector, at 4m households (17%), remained the smallest housing tenure.
The survey also found that in 2017-2018, there were 785,000 first-time buyers in England, with an average age of 33.
Those buying their home with a mortgage spent 17% of their household income on mortgage payments. Private renters spend 33% of their income on rent, and social tenants spent 28%.
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