Who are we? · Homes · UK, nations, English regions and council areas
Who owns, who rents, and where do families with children rent privately?
19.5% of UK households rented privately at the 2021 census. In the North of England, 411,242 privately renting households had dependent children. Explore by region, council area and nation.
Evidence last reviewed 31 October 2026
Who owns and who rents?
Census-based statistics, UK 2021 · Scotland modelled to March 2021
- United Kingdom19.5%
- England20.5%
- Wales17.0%
- Scotland12.8%
- Northern Ireland17.2%
| Tenure | United Kingdom | England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owned: owned outright | 32.9% | 32.5% | 38.0% | 33.4% | 34.7% |
| Owned: owned with a mortgage or loan | 28.8% | 28.8% | 28.0% | 28.9% | 29.6% |
| Owned: shared ownership | 1.0% | 1.0% | 0.3% | 0.8% | 0.9% |
| Social rented | 17.5% | 17.1% | 16.5% | 22.7% | 15.3% |
| Private rented: private landlord or letting agency | 17.5% | 18.2% | 14.5% | 12.3% | 16.1% |
| Private rented: other private rented | 2.1% | 2.2% | 2.5% | 0.5% | 1.1% |
| Lives rent free | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 1.4% | 2.3% |
Show the workings and sources
- Census-based statistics, UK 2021: tenure — UK12. ONS, NRS and NISRA (NISRA Data Portal). Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Crown copyright (NISRA), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Private renters with dependent children
Each nation is shown separately with its own census date. There is no published UK-wide table for this combination, so no UK total is shown, and the nations are not added together.
Census 2021 · England and Wales (21 March 2021)
- North East224,239
8.6% of all people; 20.2% of people with dependent children
- North West719,019
9.9% of all people; 21.5% of people with dependent children
- Yorkshire and The Humber520,210
9.7% of all people; 21.3% of people with dependent children
- East Midlands469,312
9.8% of all people; 21.9% of people with dependent children
- West Midlands588,064
10.0% of all people; 21.1% of people with dependent children
- East of England597,079
9.6% of all people; 20.7% of people with dependent children
- London1,299,624
14.9% of all people; 30.4% of people with dependent children
- South East896,879
9.9% of all people; 21.4% of people with dependent children
- South West507,486
9.1% of all people; 21.8% of people with dependent children
- Wales260,696
8.5% of all people; 19.8% of people with dependent children
The North (North East, North West, and Yorkshire and The Humber): 1,463,468 privately renting people with dependent children. This is a UK Facts grouping of three official regions, added from the same table.
“Private rented” adds the two published categories: rented from a private landlord or letting agency, and other private renting (for example from a relative, friend or employer). Census counts have been slightly adjusted by ONS to protect confidentiality, so small numbers may not add exactly.
| Region | Private renters with children | All people | Share of all | Share of people with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 224,239 | 2,594,829 | 8.6% | 20.2% |
| North West | 719,019 | 7,290,557 | 9.9% | 21.5% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 520,210 | 5,376,740 | 9.7% | 21.3% |
| East Midlands | 469,312 | 4,778,016 | 9.8% | 21.9% |
| West Midlands | 588,064 | 5,854,512 | 10.0% | 21.1% |
| East of England | 597,079 | 6,238,656 | 9.6% | 20.7% |
| London | 1,299,624 | 8,699,833 | 14.9% | 30.4% |
| South East | 896,879 | 9,088,550 | 9.9% | 21.4% |
| South West | 507,486 | 5,582,600 | 9.1% | 21.8% |
| Wales | 260,696 | 3,051,549 | 8.5% | 19.8% |
| The North (UK Facts grouping) | 1,463,468 |
Show the workings and sources
Usual residents in households. ONS applied cell-key perturbation and targeted record swapping. Small counts may be adjusted, and the ONS service withholds areas that fail its disclosure rules. The North total: Sum of E12000001, E12000002, E12000003 from the same table (UK Facts grouping).
- Census 2021: usual residents in households by tenure and dependent children, regions — UR_HH: hh_tenure_9a x hh_dependent_children_3a. ONS. Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Census 2021 regions (codes and names) — area-types/rgn. ONS. Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Choose a council area to see its figures.
1 of 331 council areas are withheld by ONS for this combination to protect confidentiality. Council areas use 2021 boundaries; some councils have merged since. Local pages show more about each place.
Census 2021 · Northern Ireland (21 March 2021)
47,968 privately renting households had dependent children (6.2% of all households).
| Tenure | With dependent children (households) | As a share of all households | All households in this tenure | Tenure share of all households |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 30,534 | 4.0% | 267,069 | 34.7% |
| Owned with a mortgage or loan, or shared ownership | 118,776 | 15.4% | 234,421 | 30.5% |
| Social rented | 35,250 | 4.6% | 117,465 | 15.3% |
| Private rented | 47,968 | 6.2% | 132,438 | 17.2% |
| Lives rent free | 3,305 | 0.4% | 17,419 | 2.3% |
| All tenures | 235,833 | 30.7% | 768,812 | 100.0% |
NISRA counts a 16 to 18-year-old in full-time education as a dependent child when living with a parent; England, Wales and Scotland also count those living with grandparents. Private renting here includes renting from an employer, relative or friend.
Show the workings and sources
- Census 2021 flexible table: households by tenure and dependent children, Northern Ireland — FTB HOUSEHOLD: HH_TENURE x HH_DEPENDENT_CHILDREN_AGG11. NISRA. Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Crown copyright (NISRA), Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Census 2021 flexible table: households by tenure and dependent children, Local Government Districts 2014 — FTB HOUSEHOLD: LGD14 x HH_TENURE x HH_DEPENDENT_CHILDREN_AGG11. NISRA. Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Crown copyright (NISRA), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Scotland's Census 2022 (20 March 2022) · tenure only
Private renters with dependent children in Scotland: coming
National Records of Scotland publishes this combination for council areas only through its interactive table builder. A documented export is being prepared (owner decision D4); until then, this panel shows tenure alone. Adding up small-area figures instead would not match Scotland's published totals.
- City of Edinburgh23.1%
- Dundee City21.1%
- Aberdeen City19.8%
- Glasgow City16.9%
- Perth and Kinross13.7%
- Scottish Borders13.7%
- Dumfries and Galloway13.5%
- Stirling12.7%
- Moray11.9%
- Angus11.8%
- Argyll and Bute11.6%
- Fife11.6%
- Renfrewshire11.0%
- Highland10.7%
- Inverclyde10.6%
- South Ayrshire10.6%
- North Ayrshire9.9%
- Orkney Islands9.6%
- East Ayrshire9.5%
- South Lanarkshire9.5%
- West Lothian9.2%
- Aberdeenshire9.1%
- Clackmannanshire8.9%
- North Lanarkshire8.6%
- East Lothian8.5%
- Falkirk8.3%
- West Dunbartonshire8.2%
- Midlothian7.7%
- Shetland Islands7.0%
- East Dunbartonshire5.8%
- East Renfrewshire5.7%
- Na h-Eileanan Siar5.7%
Show the workings and sources
NRS applied cell-key perturbation. Cells might not sum to subtotals and totals.
- Scotland's Census 2022: UV404 tenure (households), council areas — UV404. National Records of Scotland. Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Open Government Licence v3.0.
What do households pay for their home?
| Area | Social rented | Private rented | Repayment mortgage |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | £112 (2718) | £190 (2441) | £184 (3415) |
| England | £115 (1898) | £196 (1846) | £195 (2495) |
| Wales | £115 (189) | £150 (134) | £151 (194) |
| Scotland | £91 (381) | £138 (179) | £152 (346) |
| Northern Ireland | £98 (250) | £132 (282) | £141 (380) |
| Great Britain | £112 (2468) | £191 (2159) | £186 (3035) |
| North East | £102 (153) | £127 (78, small sample) | £143 (142) |
| North West | £106 (242) | £152 (209) | £161 (294) |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £96 (272) | £144 (232) | £147 (357) |
| East Midlands | £96 (153) | £174 (158) | £175 (231) |
| West Midlands | £106 (178) | £167 (165) | £161 (177) |
| East | £124 (202) | £209 (213) | £215 (316) |
| London | £148 (275) | £345 (293) | £311 (248) |
| South East | £136 (266) | £230 (310) | £253 (449) |
| South West | £109 (157) | £208 (188) | £178 (281) |
These are what households actually pay, not the rent for a new let. Survey figures for single regions rest on small samples and can move a lot from year to year.
Show the workings and sources
Survey estimates. Sample sizes are the publisher's unweighted counts. Housing payments are what households pay, not market rents.
- Family Resources Survey FYE 2025: tenure tables — 3.1, 3.8. DWP. Published 2026-03-26. Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Family Resources Survey FYE 2025: household food security tables — 9.2. DWP. Published 2026-03-26. Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Built from official tables and checked by automated tests; it has not yet had independent analytical review. About these numbers.