Stress of renting ages you TWICE as quick as being unemployed, claim scientists

Whether its recent mortgage hikes or a leaking roof, home ownership is not without its stresses.

But research suggests that living in rented accommodation is what ages us the most.

Renting in the private sector leads to quicker biological ageing than owning your own home or being in social housing, a study found.

Experts said the impact of private renting on ageing is nearly double that of being out of work versus having paid employment.

The good news is that the process is reversible, they say, suggesting those who get onto the property ladder may undo any damage.

Research suggests that living in rented accommodation is what ages us the most. Renting in the private sector leads to quicker biological ageing than owning your own home or being in social housing, a study found. Experts said the impact of private renting on ageing is nearly double that of being out of work versus having paid employment

Biological ageing refers to the decline in functioning of the body’s tissues and cells, irrespective of a person’s actual age, with its acceleration previously linked to stressful life events.

Researchers from the University of Essex and University of Adelaide in Australia used data on housing and DNA methylation — a chemical marker of DNA changes — from the UK Household Longitudinal Study, linked with prior survey responses from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS).

The analysis looked at factors such as length of tenancy, building type, the Government financial support available to renters, presence of central heating, housing costs, payment arrears, overcrowding and expectations around moving.

Further health information was collected from the 1,420 people in the BHPS survey, and blood samples taken for DNA methylation analysis.

They found renting privately, falling behind repeatedly with rent payments or living in a home affected by pollution is associated with faster biological ageing.

Those living in social housing seemed to fare better, however, in part because of the security it offers and lower costs.

Writing in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the researchers said it showed housing circumstances can ‘get under the skin with real and significant consequences for health’.

They wrote: ‘We find that living in a privately rented home is related to faster biological ageing.

‘Importantly, the impact of private renting is greater than the impact of experiencing unemployment or being a former smoker vs never smoker.

‘When we include historical housing circumstances in the analysis, we find that repeated housing arrears and exposure to pollution/environmental problems are also associated with faster biological ageing.

‘Our results suggest that challenging housing circumstances negatively affect health through faster biological ageing.

‘However, biological ageing is reversible, highlighting the significant potential for housing policy changes to improve health.’

Limitations to the study include that there were no contemporary measures of housing quality, and the DNA methylation data came only from white European respondents.

Nevertheless, they conclude that policies to reduce the stress and uncertainty associated with private renting, such as ending ‘no-fault’ evictions, limiting rent increases and improving conditions — some of which have already happened in the UK — may go some way to cutting the negative impact of private renting.