Low-income homeowners in Wales

This report sets out the extent and characteristics of low-income homeowner households in Wales, and discusses some of the main policy issues arising from those findings. The report provides a new analysis of low-income households in Wales, and shows that on a variety of measures they broadly comprise half of the poorest households in Wales. This includes new poverty measures developed by the authors that take fuller account of homeowners’ housing costs than the official HBAI measures.

Evidence from the Welsh House Condition Survey also shows that the majority of poor condition housing stock is occupied by homeowners. The report outlines the limited government support provided to low-income homeowners and discusses a range of taxation and housing policy issues, focusing on issues that are devolved to the National Assembly for Wales. The report shows that low-income homeownership is more widespread in Wales than elsewhere in Britain, and includes two-thirds of all low-income pensioner households in Wales, and two-fifths of all children living in low-income households. In contrast, only a fifth of government expenditure on housing grants, subsidies and benefits in Wales goes to homeowner households.

The printed report includes the text in both Welsh and English. Separate PDF versions of the report are available in English or Welsh.