This variable describes the legal arrangement under which a household occupies its dwelling, that is whether a dwelling is owned, being purchased, or rented.
Occupied private dwellings
| Code | Category |
|---|---|
| 1 | Owned outright |
| 2 | Owned with a mortgage |
| 3 | Purchased under a shared equity scheme |
| 4 | Rented |
| 5 | Occupied rent free |
| 6 | Occupied under a life tenure scheme |
| 7 | Other |
| & | Not stated |
| @ | Not applicable |
Number of categories: 9
Not applicable (@) category comprises:
See Understanding supplementary codes for more information.
This variable is based on responses to the tenure type question on the Census form. Respondents are instructed to select only one option; if multiple responses are selected, the first marked option is accepted and additional responses are disregarded.
A question on tenure type was first asked in the 1911 Census. From 1976 to 1991, information on nature of occupancy came from mortgage and rent questions. In all other Censuses, a direct question on nature of occupancy was included.
There have been no changes for the 2026 Census.
