Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted and transformed the lives of many people across the globe. An accurate understanding of the nature of these changes will take a number of years to materialize. What is clear, however, is the way housing has been elevated by the pandemic, not only in the way housing has been utilized by governments mandating populations to remain in their homes, but also in the role our homes play in our lives. It is clear that experiences of lockdown, and associated measures, will have been acutely influenced by housing. In particular, there will be distinct differences in experiences of lockdown depending on the availability of safe, secure, and decent accommodation. It is evident that people most at risk of experiencing the worst impacts of the pandemic, and the steps taken to mitigate the spread of the virus, are those already living with some form of pre-existing vulnerability, inequality, or precarity; in particular those in receipt of benefits, living with long-term conditions, in precarious employment, or those living in insecure housing or with poor housing conditions. As such, it is clear the experiences of people affected by multiple vulnerabilities should be documented and exposed (Gurney, 2020; Holmes et al, 2020; see also Tunstall, Chapter Two; Warnock, Chapter Twelve; Perry et al, Chapter Thirteen).

This chapter presents key findings from new rapid empirical research undertaken within the UK. Drawing on interviews with residents and professionals, we present the concerns, impacts, and lived experiences of respondents dealing with poor-quality housing.

Housing quality in the UK and its impacts

The quality of housing in the UK is variable across tenures and localities. The nature of the poorest-quality housing in the UK has been well established in the literature with data on its prevalence routinely collected as part of annual housing surveys. We are able to ascertain the proportion of dwellings which meet the Decent Homes Standard as recognized by indicators that assess homes for safety, state of repair, access and quality of facilities, and thermal comfort (Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), 2006). Housing quality issues tend to reside in the private-rented sector (PRS) followed by owner-occupation. Although there are shortcomings in the social housing sector, as a whole social housing is of high quality with the vast majority meeting the Standard.