The country is facing an estimated £48 billion collective repair bill, with nearly a third of private dwellings not meeting basic standards.

And while Britons spent a massive £17 billion on maintaining and improving houses in 2004, the percentage of 'non-decent' private housing has fallen just 1% to 30% since 2001.

The reality is that there are nearly seven million homes in England, including five million private properties, which do not even meet basic standards of 'decent' accommodation, according to the English House Condition Survey (EHCS).

The survey assesses the state of repair of a number of essential building components including walls, roofs, windows, doors, chimneys, electrics and heating systems. The survey also determines whether the property has modern facilities and services and if it provides a reasonable degree of heating and insulation.

Around 6.7 million homes are classified as 'non-decent' by the EHCS. This represents over one in four of the total 20 million households in England. One million of these non-decent homes, representing 5% of the total housing stock, are further categorised as 'unfit'.

Whilst the condition of both private and social sectors of the housing stock have improved since the last survey in 2001, the private sector has improved at a slower rate than the social sector. The percentage of 'non-decent' private housing has fallen from 31% to 30% of all private housing whilst the percentage of 'non-decent' social housing has fallen from 37% to 35%.

Reasons for Failure

Most homes surveyed failed on the standard of heating or thermal comfort provided - 23% of all homes in England did not meet this standard and 73% of 'non decent' homes fail for this reason.

Failure on the state of repair, statutory fitness criterion or availability of modern facilities and services accounted for 48% of 'non-decent' homes, highlighting that some homes failed the test for more than one reason.

An unfit dwelling fails at least one of the following criteria:

• be free from serious disrepair
• be structurally stable
• be free from dampness prejudicial to the health of the occupants
• have adequate provision for lighting, heating and ventilation
• have an adequate piped supply of wholesome water
• have an effective system for the drainage of foul, waste and surface water
• have a suitably located WC for exclusive use of the occupants
• have a bath or shower and wash-hand basin, with hot and cold water
• have satisfactory facilities for the preparation and cooking of food including a sink with hot and cold water.

The £48 billion Repair Bill

The cost to bring every one of the county's dwellings up to the standard of 'decency' would be in the region of £48 billion. This is based upon the EHCS 2001 estimates that the average cost to bring a 'non-decent' home back up to standard is £7,200.

This figure puts the £17 billion we collectively spent on maintaining and improving our houses in 2004 in perspective. However, household spending in the UK on home maintenance and improvement has risen by 24% over the past five years.

The average annual spend on home improvements in England is currently £1,685 which represents 5.4% of total annual household expenditure.

Households in the East of England spend the most on home improvements (£1,981), followed by households in the South East (£1,971) a year. Families in Yorkshire and the Humber (£1,232) and the North West (£1,477) spend the least on home improvement.

Spending on home improvement accounts for 6.7% of average household expenditure in the North East compared with 4.4% in Yorkshire and the Humber. The average for England is 5.4%.

Tim Crawford, Halifax Group economist, commented: "There has been a real boom in spending on home maintenance and repairs over the past 20 years with a doubling in spending since 1984. The popularity of home make-over and property development TV programmes has meant that DIY has become almost a national obsession."

"However, it is clear from the House Condition Survey results that there is a significant proportion of the private housing stock that is in a state of disrepair which creates a stark contrast with the picture of a nation of home improvers."

"The majority of the homes that don't meet decency standards, are actually owner occupied, highlighting the importance of helping these homeowners find affordable ways to make the repairs and improvements necessary."