Nearly half of properties in North Norfolk are owned outright by their occupants, making it the English local authority with the highest proportion of mortgage-free homes. The coastal district in East Anglia, home to seaside towns including Cromer and Sheringham, has held this distinction for several years.
The area has long been recognised as having England's largest percentage of residents aged 65 and over. New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that 49.8 per cent of North Norfolk properties are owned outright by their occupants.
Coastal areas dominate rankings
Rother in East Sussex follows closely with 48.7 per cent of properties owned outright, whilst Staffordshire Moorlands and Derbyshire Dales both record 48.2 per cent. East Lindsey in Lincolnshire completes the top five with 47.4 per cent.
Three of these five authorities - North Norfolk, Rother and East Lindsey - also rank among the areas with the highest proportion of residents aged 65 and over. The ONS noted that areas with the greatest proportion of outright ownership tend to be in coastal regions or away from major cities.
London shows opposite trend
The capital dominates the bottom of the outright ownership rankings, with Tower Hamlets recording just 8.4 per cent of properties owned without mortgages. Hackney follows with 10.0 per cent, then Southwark with 10.8 per cent, Islington with 11.8 per cent and Lambeth with 12.1 per cent.
However, London boroughs reverse this trend when it comes to private rental properties. The City of London leads with 51.8 per cent of properties privately rented, followed by Westminster at 47.9 per cent and Kensington & Chelsea at 42.8 per cent.
Mortgage ownership patterns
Areas outside major cities show the lowest private rental rates, with North East Derbyshire recording just 10.3 per cent. South Staffordshire, Rochford in Essex, Bromsgrove in Worcestershire and Maldon in Essex all record rates below 12 per cent.
Wokingham in Berkshire has the highest proportion of properties owned with mortgages or loans at 42.3 per cent. Dartford in Kent follows with 41.4 per cent, whilst Hart in Hampshire, Bracknell Forest in Berkshire and Reigate & Banstead in Surrey complete the top five.
Social housing distribution
The 2023 ONS figures show England had 23.7 million households living in 25.4 million dwellings. Of the total housing stock, 8.3 million dwellings were owned outright, 7.6 million were owned with mortgages, 5.3 million were privately rented and 4.2 million were socially rented.
London boroughs again dominate social housing provision, with Islington leading at 38.9 per cent of properties socially rented. Southwark and Hackney both record 38.5 per cent, followed by Lambeth at 33.4 per cent and Camden at 31.7 per cent.
Castle Point in Essex has the lowest proportion of social housing at just 5.3 per cent, followed by Wokingham at 7.1 per cent. The data highlights the stark regional differences in housing tenure across England, reflecting varying demographics, house prices and local housing policies.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
