New analysis has revealed that poor quality and hazardous housing costs the NHS £1.4bn a year.

The Building Research Establishment’s (BRE) new report, The Cost of Poor Housing in England, shows that 2.6 million English homes (11% of the total stock) are categorised as ‘poor quality’ and hazardous to occupants.

And the costs to the NHS rocket to £18.5bn a year when wider societal costs are included, such as long-term care, mental health, etc.

The BRE’s analysis found:

• The most common housing hazards are causing falls injuries on stairs, with over one million p.a. reported

• The most expensive housing hazard for the NHS is excess cold, costing £857 million p.a.

• Falls and excess cold are particularly dangerous for older people, who live in nearly half (two million) of all non-decent homes (predominantly homeowners)

The BRE was able to quantify the cost of poor housing to the NHS by combining data from the 2018 English Housing Survey (EHS) on health and safety hazards in the home, with the latest NHS treatment cost figures.

It’s now recommending that further research is undertaken to inform a full 30-year cost-benefit analysis of the impact of improving poor housing in England.