18.6m spare room surplus could be the solution to Britain’s broken housing market

Research by leading room share platform, ideal flatmate, has looked at the excess number of spare rooms across the UK and how this surplus could address the UK’s property stock shortage.

Using data from Twenty CI, ideal flatmate found that there are 30.5m dwellings in the UK, home to a total of 84.4m bedrooms.

According to the ONS, the current UK population is 65.7m which means as a nation, we already have a surplus of 28% or 18.6m spare rooms and that’s assuming that on a very top level, one person occupied one bedroom although the reality is that this surplus is likely to be much higher.

This surplus is highest in the capital, where there’s an oversupply of 67% between the number of bedrooms compared to the population.

The second largest oversupply is in Wales, where there’s a 38% difference in the number of rooms available to the local population.

The lowest ratio is in the South East, but with an additional 1,384,293 spare rooms, the oversupply ratio is still 15%.

You also have a better chance of not getting refused house insurance by living in this type of affordable accommodation.

Tom Gatzen, Co-founder of ideal flatmate, commented:

“The lack of housing stock being delivered by the Government to meet home buyer demand has not only pushed up house prices but has also put further strain on a rentals market that was already buckling under the pressure.

But while we struggle to find suitable methods to build more homes, it would seem that there is already an abundance of housing stock under our noses in the form of millions of spare rooms across the UK.

Not only is there technically a room for everyone, but with an oversupply of over 18.6m homes, we have far more than we need. With this considered you could be forgiven for thinking housing crisis, what housing crisis?

While more homes are needed, we need to think about utilising what we already have. Shared living isn’t the answer for everyone, but it could certainly go a long, long way in helping at least ease the rental friction, lowering rents and enabling tenants to make the move to homeownership quicker.”

Region
Dwellings
Bedrooms
Population
Bedroom ‘Over Supply’ %*
Bedroom ‘Over Supply’
London
4,429,021
14,734,867
8,825,001
67%
5,909,866
Wales
1,486,920
4,302,082
3,125,165
38%
1,176,917
South West
2,640,914
7,511,050
5,559,316
35%
1,951,734
North East
1,278,945
3,547,565
2,644,727
34%
902,838
North West
3,434,049
9,475,349
7,258,627
31%
2,216,722
Yorkshire and The Humber
2,564,807
7,104,303
5,450,130
30%
1,654,173
East Midlands
2,175,072
6,190,150
4,771,666
30%
1,418,484
Northern Ireland
778,307
2,423,693
1,870,834
30%
552,859
Scotland
2,648,514
6,988,792
5,424,800
29%
1,563,992
West Midlands
2,578,365
7,271,799
5,860,706
24%
1,411,093
East of England
2,521,646
7,204,438
5,860,706
23%
1,343,732
South East
3,700,528
10,465,118
9,080,825
15%
1,384,293
TOTAL
30,568,819
84,408,705
65,732,503
28%
18,676,202
* Number of bedrooms versus population
Population: ONS (June 2018)
Dwellings and Bedrooms: Twenty Ci

 

EAN Content

Content shared by this account is either news shared free by third parties or sponsored (paid for) content from third parties. Please be advised that links to third party websites are not endorsed by Estate Agent Networking - Please do your own research before committing to any third party business promoted on our website. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Rent and run? Agents warn of new ‘Stopover Tenant’ epidemic

Nearly 1 in 3 letting agents report tenants walking away from 6–12 month tenancies – some after just a few months Experts warn rental reforms are fueling relocation-style, short-term renting Almost half of agents now advising landlords on how to manage early exits A new trend is sweeping the rental market and it’s leaving landlords…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 11/09/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   A ‘workplace companion that’s not just about managing buildings’ Smart Spaces has launched Space Agent, its new agentic AI-driven workplace concierge designed to transform how people manage and engage with buildings and their workplaces. Space Agent – introduced through its friendly persona, Max – is fully…
Read More
Breaking News

Where can you still buy a home for under £150k?

Zoopla reveals Great Britain’s property bargain hotspots Just 12 per cent of all homes for sale across Great Britain are priced under £150,000 making location key for home buyers looking for a bargain In the North East, a remarkable 41 per cent of all homes for sale fall within this price range, followed by Scotland…
Read More
Breaking News

Landlord repossessions soar as Renters’ Rights Bill looms

Landlord repossessions soar as Renters’ Rights Bill looms, with some areas seeing increase of over 2,500% The latest analysis from Dwelly, one of the UK’s leading lettings acquisition and success planning experts, shows that landlord repossessions have increased by 6.8% across England and Wales. However, in some areas of the country they have soared by…
Read More
Breaking News

These are Britain’s most active housing markets

New research from The Property DriveBuy reveals that the busiest homebuying postcodes in Britain right now are found in Croydon, Buckinghamshire and Waltham Forest, however, for those hopeful homebuyers facing tough competition, shifting to a neighbouring postcode could see them secure a property. The Property DriveBuy analysed latest housing market data to discover which of…
Read More
Breaking News

Downsizers can bag 2 for 1 on property purchases

The latest research from over-50s property specialists, Regency Living, reveals that downsizing retirees could own two homes for the price of one, combining a comfortable home in England with a sunny escape in Europe. According to Regency Living’s latest analysis, retirees who sell a traditional bricks and mortar house and purchase a park home can…
Read More