Living in and leaving poor neighbourhood conditions in England

Current neighbourhood renewal and urban policies in the UK seek to improve neighbourhood conditions in poor areas and achieve greater residential stability. Using one of the few longitudinal housing datasets available in the UK, this paper analyses the influence of residential perceptions on house moving behaviour in poor and other areas. It is found that residential dissatisfaction is notably higher among residents of poor areas, and they respond to poor neighbourhood conditions in the same way as the general population. Dissatisfaction with the home itself, and unhappiness with disorder in the immediate surroundings both significantly increased the odds that someone would move home. Perceived neighbourhood decline was also found to increase the odds that someone wished to move home but to reduce the likelihood that they would actually do so. Residential mobility was found to be a particular problem for owner occupiers in declining neighbourhoods and for residents in deprived parts of inner London.