A February 2026 report on real estate disrepair across the UK reveals that the homes in Bradford are in the biggest need of renovation. The findings come from Tradefix Direct who have reviewed the age of the homes as well as average conditions across major cities.
The key findings are:
- Bradford leads the list, with residents turning to the Internet for renovation-related help more often than anywhere in the UK.
- The oldest housing development in the UK is in Brighton, with over 40% of the houses built before 1919.
- In Stoke-on-Trent and Liverpool, residents live 12 years in one place on average, signalling low housing turnover and rarer renovations.
The study compared cities across the UK by measuring four factors that directly impact the preservation of the buildings. First, the proportion of properties built before 1919 was calculated, showing how many homes are prone to older infrastructure and structural deterioration.
Next, the research considered the overall conditions of residential properties quantified through the housing disrepair index, as well as the average length of residency in each city. The study also took into account the online search trends for housing renovations and calculated the Renovation Urgency Score that reflects all the conditions.
10 UK cities most in need of renovation
| City | Proportion of properties built before 1919 | Severity of Housing Disrepair (Index 1–10) | Average length of residence (years) | Search Popularity of “house renovation” and related keywords per 10K | Renovation Urgency Score |
| Bradford | 29.7% | 9 | 11 | 733 | 99 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 21.9% | 9 | 12 | 426 | 81 |
| Liverpool | 31.3% | 8 | 12 | 214 | 80 |
| Kingston (Upon Hull) | 20.0% | 9 | 11 | 439 | 72 |
| Glasgow | 25.0% | 8 | 12 | 69 | 64 |
| Manchester | 22.5% | 9 | 11 | 67 | 62 |
| Birmingham | 19.7% | 9 | 11 | 84 | 58 |
| Wolverhampton | 11.2% | 8 | 11 | 609 | 54 |
| Brighton | 40.1% | 5 | 10 | 188 | 52 |
| Leicester | 26.2% | 6 | 11 | 285 | 48 |
1. Bradford
Bradford is the UK city that needs renovations the most, with residents looking up guides and tips for home makeover the most in the UK, 733 times per 10K people. Almost a third of properties in the city were built before 1919, and on average, people live in one home for 11 years. Such long residency often leads to rare renovations and prolonged exposure to substandard housing conditions.
2. Stoke-on-Trent
In 2nd place is Stoke-on-Trent, where people live in their homes the longest, 12 years on average. The rare reselling of properties is paired with overall bad conditions of the real estate, with the city scoring 9/10 for housing disrepair. In addition, 1 in 5 residential buildings was constructed before 1919, leading to poor infrastructure, bad construction materials, and faster structural deterioration.
3. Liverpool
Liverpool follows closely behind Stoke-on-Trent, with a similar length of residence. People here move once every 12 years on average, which often prevents large renovations. Almost a third of homes in Liverpool (31.3%) were built before 1919, and the overall housing conditions score 8/10 for disrepair.
4. Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull takes fourth place, with one in 5 residential buildings in the city built before 1919. The old infrastructure and accumulated structural damage put the housing disrepair score at 9 out of 10, one of the highest in the study. Residents also search for housing renovation help even more than in Stoke-on-Trent, with 439 people per every 10K residents.
5. Glasgow
Closing the top 5 UK cities in most need of renovations is Glasgow, where every fourth house was built in the early 20th century. The overall housing disrepair across the city is less obvious than in Kingston upon Hill or Bradford, but still climbs to an 8/10 score. Glasgow residents spend over a decade living in the same house, increasing the time between major renovations.
