Housing

 

There are around 227,000 households currently in Sheffield, based on occupied properties in the Council Tax register.  Sheffield Housing Facts & Figures records a total stock in 2006/07 of 231,562 properties, of which almost three-quarters are in the private sector.

 

Council housing in Sheffield is now managed by Sheffield Homes, an arms-length company.  The Council-owned stock totalled 44,830 in 2006/07, 19.4% of the total stock.  This number has dropped by over a third in the last ten years, mostly due to clearance and to sales.  6,618 properties have been sold to tenants under right to buy in the last five years.  Much of the clearance has been of properties that were difficult to let.  As a result, the vacancy rate has fallen from 4.7% in 2002/03 to only 2.4% in the current year.

 

Average house prices have virtually doubled in the last five years to over £150,000.  This varies by type of property and by area of the city.  Over the same period, private sector rents have increased on average by 44% to £552 per month, whilst average Council rents have increased from £43 per week to £49.75 per week.

 

The housing stock in Sheffield is increasing.  Since 2002/03, 1,535 new dwellings have been completed in 149 developments.  The include significant increases in the number of flats and apartments in the city centre and it’s outskirts.