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Think something missing from the COVID-19 debate is the extent to which the housing market has forced people to live in shared rented housing.
Consider this data from Camden:
Consider this data from Camden:
The borough has 3,742 registered 'houses in multiple occupation'. That's basically where multiple households live in one building, sharing some basic amenities. So your standard private rented home split up into rooms.
Within these 3,742 homes, there are 17,003 people
Within these 3,742 homes, there are 17,003 people
In 1,877 of these the kitchen is shared between four or more people. Well over a thousand have shared washing facilities (showers and sinks).
All of these numbers will be underestimates because not all landlords register as they should and not all the data is complete
All of these numbers will be underestimates because not all landlords register as they should and not all the data is complete
The government guidance on self-isolation in these properties is to stay in your room and wash all surfaces thoroughly.
Really this isn't going to happen. Light switches, door handles, taps, bannisters. The virus is going to spread once it gets in the house
Really this isn't going to happen. Light switches, door handles, taps, bannisters. The virus is going to spread once it gets in the house
HMOs aren't the preserve of students and young graduates anymore, it's become the go-to housing for anyone for whom self-contained housing is too expensive.
In London that's a lot of people, and will include many families and keyworkers.
In London that's a lot of people, and will include many families and keyworkers.
None of these people can properly self-isolate from coronavirus, in a city which has one of the worst outbreaks on the planet.
You could write a book on how this has happened, but basically if you make it really easy to buy properties as an investment and then limit benefits and cut off the supply of social housing it's inevitable.
Data from Camden here: https://opendata.camden.gov.uk/Housing/HMO-Licensing-Register/x43g-c2rf/data
I picked them because it was available and rich - may have a go at trying to get a nationwide dataset together.
I picked them because it was available and rich - may have a go at trying to get a nationwide dataset together.
