Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.
The English House Condition Survey (EHCS) was a national survey of housing in England, commissioned by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). The survey was originally called the National House Condition Survey and covered England and Wales. The information obtained through the survey provides an accurate picture of the type, condition and energy efficiency of housing in England, the people living there, and their views on housing and their neighbourhoods. The survey covers all tenure types. The EHCS ran quinquennially from 1967-2001. From 2002, the survey moved to a continuous basis and the data were provided as a two-year rolling sample of approximately 16,000 cases (i.e. the data for 2003 cover information collected from April 2002 to March 2004, data for 2004 comprise information collected from April 2003 to March 2005). From April 2008, the EHCS merged with the Survey of English Housing (SEH) (available at the UK Data Archive under GN 33277) to form the English Housing Survey (EHS) (available at the Archive under GN 33422). Further information can be found on the Statistics at DCLG webpage and the English Housing Survey web page. Secure Access EHCS Data: Secure Access datasets for the EHCS include two detailed geographical variables that are not available in the standard End User Licence (EUL) versions: Postcodes and Lower Layer Super Output Areas. The two variables are available in separate Geographical Information data files, along with the key variable 'aacode', allowing the user to merge with other files of their choice. All other files are the same as in the EUL versions. Prospective users of the Secure Access version of the EHCS will need to fulfil additional requirements, commencing with the completion of an extra application form to demonstrate to the data owners exactly why they need access to the extra, more detailed variables, in order to obtain permission to use that version. Secure Access users must also complete face-to-face training and agree to Secure Access' User Agreement and Licence Compliance Policy (see 'Access' section below). Therefore, users are encouraged to download and inspect the EUL versions of the data prior to ordering the Secure Access version.
Main Topics:
The main topics are: general tenure and demographics; household income and housing costs; housing needs; housing aspirations and satisfaction; housing moves; vulnerable and disadvantaged households. The EHCS consists of a number of component surveys: Interview Survey An interview is first conducted with the householder. The interview topics include: household characteristics, satisfaction with the home and the area, disability and adaptations to the home, work done to the property and income details. Physical Survey The interview is followed by a visual inspection of the property, both internally and externally, by a qualified surveyor. Data collected include the number and type of rooms and facilities contained in the property, the condition of a wide range of aspects of the physical structure, details of the heating systems, parking provision, and assessment of neighbourhood quality. Market Value Survey This is a desk-based exercise providing two market valuations for each of the core cases. The first gives the market value of the property in its current condition. The second gives the valuation after necessary repairs were undertaken (if identified from the Physical survey). Valuers also provide information about the housing market in the immediate neighbourhood in which the property is situated.
Multi-stage stratified random sample
stratified by tenure
Face-to-face interview
Surveyor property inspection; Desk-based property valuation
