Housing standards

Given that we spend the majority of our lives in our homes, it is essential that our homes have a positive impact on our health and wellbeing. This can be achieved through the amount of space, light and ventilation inside a home and the level of comfort it can provide to residents of all ages all year round. Also important is the material quality of the interior spaces and our ability to adapt these to our changing needs as we age. 

The quality and impact of housing standards relate to the way a home is designed and the amount and flexibility of space, levels of comfort (neither too hot nor too cold), indoor air quality, sound insulation, ventilation, daylight levels and external space it has. It speaks to the material elements that determine the environmental conditions within a home. There are plenty of ways these elements can be considered in the design and delivery of homes that positively contribute to our health. Some of these are well explored in the Town and Country Planning Association’s (TCPA) Healthy Homes Principles. [16]

Providing affordable, good quality housing is a way of addressing the widening health inequality gap and of improving quality of life. There are many positive and negative effects that housing has on mental health, wellbeing and clinical health-related outcomes of children and adults, including amongst vulnerable groups. 

Positive outcomes arise from housing warmth and energy efficiency, removing home hazards, and adapting existing buildings.[16] Negative outcomes arise through respiratory related diseases connected to damp and mould, excess indoor cold and indoor air pollution.[17] Cold homes are a serious problem in the UK, with over one-quarter of low-income households being unable to adequately heat their homes.[18] Various studies have shown that the development of mental ill-health is strongly linked with housing quality issues. A range of situations result in housing quality issues, including overcrowding and a lack of space, and exposure to damp, cold and mouldy conditions. Inadequate access to kitchen, bathroom or toilet facilities, unreliable heating and/or a requirement for additional sources of heat during winter, high levels of noise due to poor sound insulation, and general levels of deterioration of the internal and external fabric of dwellings also contribute.[19]

It is important to note that housing problems appear to be closely associated with a lack of choice in the housing market and limited financial resources, both of which may independently affect mental health.[20]