The numbers, dated and sourced
Statistics in this sector are frequently quoted without a date or a source, which makes them impossible to check. Everything on this page carries both. Where a figure is indicative rather than an official published series, we say so.
Key facts at a glance
- County Durham average house price £137,000 against a UK average of £271,000 (ONS/HM Land Registry, May 2026).
- County Durham affordability ratio 4.0× earnings, against 7.54× for England & Wales and 10.6× for London.
- Durham County Council has roughly 10,000 households on its housing register against about 3,000 lettings a year.
- Households in temporary accommodation in County Durham rose from about 48 (2018/19) to about 140 (early 2025).
- Durham BRMA Local Housing Allowance, 2-bedroom: £92.05 per week (April 2026 – March 2027).
- Supported and exempt accommodation is assessed against actual eligible costs, not capped at the LHA rate.
1. National housing need
Figures drawn from UK government and housing-sector statistics; indicative as at 2026 and subject to periodic revision. These are widely quoted sector figures rather than a single official published series, and should be re-checked against the current source before being relied on in published material.
2. County Durham house prices
| Measure | Value | Change | Source | As at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Durham — average house price | £137,000 | +4.4% year on year | ONS / HM Land Registry UK House Price Index | May 2026 |
| North East — average house price | £164,000 | — | ONS / HM Land Registry UK HPI | May 2026 |
| United Kingdom — average house price | £271,000 | — | ONS / HM Land Registry UK HPI | May 2026 |
| County Durham — terraced | £114,000 | — | ONS / HM Land Registry UK HPI | May 2026 |
| County Durham — semi-detached | £138,000 | — | ONS / HM Land Registry UK HPI | May 2026 |
| County Durham — detached | £234,000 | — | ONS / HM Land Registry UK HPI | May 2026 |
| County Durham — first-time buyer average | £122,000 | — | ONS / HM Land Registry UK HPI | May 2026 |
The gap between the County Durham average and the UK average is the arithmetic that makes an income-led strategy possible. A fully refurbished freehold house here costs a fraction of equivalent stock in southern England, which is the denominator of every yield calculation. See how the yield is built →
3. County Durham private rents
| Measure | Value | Change | Source | As at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Durham — average private rent | £641 / month | +6.1% year on year | ONS Price Index of Private Rents | June 2026 |
| County Durham — 1-bedroom | £450 / month | — | ONS Price Index of Private Rents | June 2026 |
| County Durham — 2-bedroom | £571 / month | +6.7% year on year | ONS Price Index of Private Rents | June 2026 |
| County Durham — 3-bedroom | £683 / month | — | ONS Price Index of Private Rents | June 2026 |
| County Durham — terraced | £673 / month | — | ONS Price Index of Private Rents | June 2026 |
Open-market private rents are shown as market context. Transitional and supported housing income is not derived from open-market rents — it is derived from government-funded housing-cost payments assessed under different rules.
4. Local Housing Allowance — Durham BRMA
| Category | Weekly rate | Monthly equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Shared accommodation | £90.50 | £393.28 |
| 1 bedroom | £90.50 | £393.28 |
| 2 bedrooms | £92.05 | £399.98 |
| 3 bedrooms | £109.32 | £474.99 |
| 4 bedrooms | £151.86 | £659.85 |
Durham Broad Rental Market Area, 1 April 2026 – 31 March 2027. Source: DWP / Valuation Office Agency. Most County Durham properties fall within the Durham BRMA, but the applicable BRMA should be confirmed by postcode for each specific property.
5. Housing need in County Durham
| Figure | Measure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ~10,000 | Households on the Durham County Council housing register | Durham County Council |
| ~3,000 | Social lettings made per year in County Durham | Durham County Council |
| 2,011 | Assessed local housing need, homes per year | Durham County Council Local Plan |
| ~140 | Households in temporary accommodation, early 2025 (from ~48 in 2018/19) | Durham County Council |
| £806,179 | Temporary accommodation cost 2022/23 (from £10,343 in 2016/17) | Durham County Council |
The ratio that matters is roughly 10,000 households on the register against about 3,000 lettings a year. That gap is why local authorities work with compliant private partners, and it is structural rather than cyclical — it is driven by a statutory duty and a long-term supply shortfall, not by market sentiment.
6. Affordability ratios
| Area | House price to earnings ratio |
|---|---|
| County Durham | 4.0× |
| North East | 5.0× |
| England & Wales | 7.54× |
| London | 10.6× |
House price to workplace-based earnings ratios; ONS-derived, most recent available at time of writing (2026).
7. Public and regional investment
| Amount | Commitment | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £20m | Pride in Place funding for Stanley South over 10 years from 2026 | Durham County Council / UK Government |
| £4.2bn | North East devolution deal over 30 years, including a £1.4bn investment fund | North East Combined Authority |
| £160m | North East Investment Zone, targeting around £3bn of private investment | North East Combined Authority |
| £2.5m | Stanley bus station investment | North East Combined Authority |
| £900m | Metro extension to Washington | North East Combined Authority |
| 8,000–9,000 | Jobs at Aycliffe Business Park, Newton Aycliffe | Durham County Council |
Announced funding commitments as reported by the relevant authorities in 2026. Announced funding is not delivered funding — timescales, phasing and final allocations change, and first substantive Pride in Place payments for Stanley South are expected from around March 2027.
8. Operational data from the portfolio
The figures below are historic operational data from the Myshon portfolio, provided so you can see what the model has actually delivered. They are not a forecast and not a guarantee of future performance.
Historic portfolio data. The 99% figure relates to a 600-unit transitional housing sample over 12 months; 95% relates to the whole portfolio. The two are distinct and should not be conflated. Historic operational data is not a guarantee of future performance.
9. Using these figures
You are welcome to cite this page. If you do, please carry the date and the source with the number — that is the whole point of it. Where you need a figure for a regulated document, go to the primary source: ONS and HM Land Registry for prices and rents, DWP and the Valuation Office Agency for Local Housing Allowance, and the relevant local authority for housing-register and temporary-accommodation data.
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