How many England homes are under-occupied? England’s 7.5 million over-65 households are overwhelmingly settled where they are.

New information provided from Dataloft provides some interesting statistics on renters aged over 65 years. Specifically, it provides insight into how these tenants occupy their England homes - or, rather, how they under-occupy.

• England’s 7.5 million over-65 households are overwhelmingly settled where they are – 58% are now under-occupying their home, up from 53% a decade ago, equivalent to 4.3 million homes with spare bedrooms going unused.

  
  

• The reasons are mostly contentment rather than constraint. The English Housing Survey found 76% say their current home already meets their needs, and 73% simply like the area they live in: the top two reasons by some distance.

  
  

• Age plays a smaller but telling role too: 17% stay because their home has been specifically adapted to their needs, a reason of necessity rather than preference.

  
  

• Even among those who do want to move, the instinct is to downsize rather than up-size: 28% want a smaller home, compared with just 24% of 35-64 year-olds who are chasing more space. Source: Dataloft by PriceHubble, English Housing Survey 2024-25, published May 2026

Is it good that over-65 households are settled in their properties?

Yes, it's good for everyone involved!

For the renters themselves, it offers stability and comfort; they know their property and they know their community. In fact, in a study last year, it was found that renters prefer to rent longer in areas with strong communities. Which makes complete sense, especially for an older generation who are looking for more stability.

It's unsurprising that the younger generations of 35 - 64 year old are looking to upsize and find a better space for them. They likely have more children, and are still actively working to get the funds to afford a property they want to settle down in.

For Landlords, a stable tenant is especially great news in the current climate. The property market has been shaken up quite a bit by the Renters' Rights Act, which has resulted in even more compliance and complications with lettings. That's not even taking into consideration the new Private Rented Sector Database, which is its own can of worms soon to be unleashed. (If you're not ready for all of that, it's best you get in touch with the NRLA or a local estate agent, pronto!)

Additionally, the Renters' Rights Act could spell an increase in property vacant periods, which we discussed the other week. So for landlords looking to keep a stable income, it's certainly a great opportunity to take advantage of -- keep a tenant happy and stable, and find stability yourself. It's how a strong property market should function.

Is it concerning that tenants are under-occupying their England homes?

There's nothing wrong with it in principle -- the tenant's paying for the property, and unless they're doing anything against the tenancy terms, they're free to do what they want with the rooms they have. Sometimes tenants like an additional office space, or a room for guests.

But there are still some warranted concern over this; larger properties naturally cost more on the rental market, and if it is occupied by tenants who aren't working or there's not enough tenants to provide a sufficient household income, it could affect the amount of value you are getting out of the home. Rooms can heavily dictate a price -- a 2 bed is more often than not more expensive than a 1 bed.

It's a difficult balance to strike -- as discussed earlier, you want to keep happy, stable tenants to ensure you get a stable income. But it's also important to consider what you could be getting if your property is currently under market value.

There's one important fact to remember about the Renter's Rights Act.

You can now only increase the rent once per year. And it goes without saying that it must still be in-line with market rates. Tenants could always challenge this, but now they have even more power to do so. So make sure that you have evidence for why you'd want to increase the rent, and do it in-line with the new legislation.

If an older tenant can pay the value of the property, then you get the best of both worlds. But if they can't, you have a choice to make. Do you continue letting it as is? Or do you raise the rent and risk the tenants leaving? It's the age old question for landlords with tenants of all ages.

It depends on you and what you're looking for. Looking for stability or a higher income?

Northwood Guaranteed Rent

There's plenty of resources out there to help ease your decision - such as insurance, estate agencies, and more.

At Northwood Northampton, we offer a solution that could just provide both stability and potentially a higher income via our Guaranteed Rent service. Initially, you may not get quite the same income as a generic fully managed service, but what you get in return is just as valuable: stability.

You get the same features as a managed service: tenant referencing, property inspections, maintenance management. But you also get the added bonus of a consistent income -- even when a tenant doesn't pay, or when your property is vacant, you get the same amount of money each month, as per the terms of the agreement.

And we would take all the risk on a rental increase -- if the market just isn't quite ready for a higher price yet, we'll take the risk of marketing the property at a higher value. Then when your next renewal rolls around, you'll know for certain if you're able to get a higher yield from your property.

It's certainly an option for those looking to try increasing the rent but don't want the risk of it taking longer to find a tenant or not being the right price.

If you're interested in more information in Guaranteed Rent, click here.