The new study comes from the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory and uses information from Understanding Society to explore who owns their home and who rents.
The Migration Observatory found that both EU and non-EU migrants had significantly lower rates of home ownership that people who are born in the UK. There are some regional variations – Londoners are less likely to own their homes regardless of birth country or nationality. Recent migrants are also more likely to rent compared to people who have been in the UK for longer.
There are similar levels of access to social housing for both UK and foreign-born residents, and to reduced rent schemes which allow people to save for a deposit towards purchase. Both UK-born and foreign-born residents have similar levels of participation in these schemes at around 16-17%. However, not all migrant residents are eligible for social housing, despite misconceptions that migrants have priority in the allocation of social housing.
Households that include at least one foreign-born adult member, are the most likely to be in overcrowded conditions during the period 2019-2021. Within this period, approximately 11% of households with non-EU born adults were considered to be living in overcrowded accommodation, compared to just 9% of EU-born adults. Overcrowding was also found to be more common within social housing or privately rented accommodation, compared to those in private ownership.
Key findings
- People born abroad had lower ownership rates (47%), than those who are UK-born (70%).
- Recent migrants are almost three times more likely to rent compared to migrants who have been in the UK for at least 20 years, and those born in the UK.
- UK-born and foreign-born have similar levels of participation in social housing.
- UK residents born abroad and UK-born households living in privately rented homes in London both spend more than a third of their net income on rent.
- An estimated 11% of households headed by non-EU residents live in overcrowded accommodation.
- There is some evidence that migration has increased average UK house prices by increasing demand for housing generally.
Read the briefing report Migrants and Housing in the UK.
Family and householdsSocial mobility
