Private renting in London is predicted to catch up with owner-occupation by 2025.

The private rented sector was once the largest single housing tenure in London, but shrank from 46% of households in 1961 to just 14% in 1991.

By 2001 – the latest date quoted in a new report on housing in the capital – the private rented sector accounted for 26% of households.

In contrast, social housing accounted for 35% of London households in 1981, before falling to 24% in 2011.

The Mayor of London’s new report forecasts both social renting and home ownership to continue falling, while private renting will grow.

By 2025, both private renting and home ownership will each account for 40% of all London households, with social renting accounting for just 20%.

The 114-page densely researched report is called Housing in London: 2017, and is the evidence base for the Mayor’s housing strategy.

It can be found at https://files.datapress.com/london/dataset/housing-london/2017-01-26T18:50:00/Housing-in-London-2017-report.pdf