Housing unaffordability is a significant cause of many of the nation’s social and economic ills. It is the lack of affordable housing that so often lies behind the problems of poverty, homelessness, debt, family breakdown, mental and physical poor health. Housing stress also has negative effects on people’s life chances – as well as on local communities, business, the wider economy and public spending.

Unaffordable housing is now a prominent feature of the housing system, affecting all tenures and all parts of England. It is at the heart of the wider housing crisis, which encompasses a growing list of related concerns and drivers – such as demographic trends, economic geography, and social disparities – and placemaking issues, such as transport connections, livability, design and the quality of the public realm. The Commission is aware of how all these demand and supply issues overlap, with housing affordability also shaped by the political landscape, macro economy, state of the public finances, and public attitudes. Housing unaffordability itself also has multiple components, involving personal circumstances and preferences, attitudes and stigma, as well as a range of relationships: between landlords and tenants, lenders and homeowners, housing providers and funders, house builders and planners.