Demand Doubles For Affordable Housing In Cornwall

As the number of people registering for council homes and affordable housing in Cornwall has more than doubled in less than two years, Housing Industry Leaders looks at why there has been a sharp increase.

Back in March 2020, Cornwall announced that there were around 9,000 on its Homechoice Register. By January 2022, the figure had risen to 21,200.

This increase of 135% has been compounded because rents have dramatically increased over the last two years as the supply of rented housing has reduced.

The supply of rental properties dipped by 42% to 317 properties

The supply for rental properties dipped 42% in one year up to March 2022, with only 317 available properties on Rightmove. Adding to this, approaches to the councils from evicted residents jumped 89%, from 1,143 in 2019 to 2156 in 2021.

Part of this spike in registrations for council and social housing is because landlords have decided to stop renting out their properties to use them as holiday lets.

Average rental costs skyrocketed to £1048 per month

The Local Democracy Reporting Service found that the average monthly rental costs in Cornwall in March 2022 were £1,048 per month. This is 26% higher than the national average of £831.

Many people currently claiming housing benefits are finding that their benefits do not cover their rent. To help with this, Cornwall Council spent £1.4m supporting housing benefit claimants.

According to the TUC, Just before the pandemic hit, poverty was at a record high, with 14.5 million people in poverty.

The majority of these – 57 per cent, or 8.3 million people –

were in working households

The average house price in Cornwall also continues to rise at a rate above the national average and in March was recorded at £305,969.28.