North East 'housing emergency' warning from charity: Families 'trapped' by huge waiting lists and 'terrible' conditions

Shelter has called for drastic action to deliver more and safer homes across the region, after it emerged that the waiting list for a council house has spiralled dramatically.

The number of households on a waiting list for social housing across the North East jumped from 50,453 in 2022 to 75,985 in 2023, hitting its highest level since 2012, with 12,434 of these being in Northumberland.

That increase of almost 51% is far higher than anywhere else in England, with the next highest rise in demand being just eight per cent in the North West during the same period and the national average being six per cent.

Shelter said that a spike in rental rates in the private housing sector was pushing more people towards social housing at a time when they are battling a cost of living crisis and when poverty rates across the region have risen over recent years.

The charity, which has highlighted the scale of the crisis by shining a message onto the Angel of the North, also warned that tens of thousands of people in the North East are “trapped in homes with terrible conditions such as damp, mould, and disrepair” – with 23,775 households in privately rented accommodation classed as ‘non-decent’ and 10,213 in socially rented homes that failed to meet the Decent Homes Standard, according to figures from 2021/22.

Tracy Guy, strategic lead at Shelter North East, said: “The housing emergency is ruining lives across the North East. Through our services we hear horror stories of people’s dire housing situations – people with damp and mould problems, people who can’t find anywhere to live, private renters who are too terrified to ask for basic repairs for fear of eviction – the same stories day in and day out.

“For a long time, people have seen housing as a ‘southern’ problem, but the reality is we are facing the same issues all across the North East. Ahead of this year’s elections, we need to get politicians to sit up and take notice, and to hear the voices of the people in our region who deserve better.

Asked why the North East had seen such a spike in demand compared to other regions, Ms Guy said: “The North East private rental housing market has traditionally been cheaper than other areas – there were rents that people could afford to let properties on while they were on benefits. That is not the case anymore. We have sky-high rents now across the North East.”

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: “Last year was the highest on record for affordable housing delivery and since 2010 we have delivered over 696,100 new affordable homes across the country, including over 172,600 homes for social rent. We are committed to building more homes.

“In addition to boosting supply, our landmark Renters (Reform) Bill will deliver a fairer private rented sector, abolishing section 21 evictions and holding landlords who have failed to keep properties free of serious hazards, such as damp and mould, to account.”