ETHNIC minorities are pouring more of their income into housing than white citizens, yet are more likely to be stuck in damp and overcrowded homes, new research published today shows.

The Resolution Foundation think tank study found that Bangladeshi and Arab adults are spending more than twice as much of their household income on housing than white British adults (23 per cent and 26 per cent respectively, compared with 11 per cent).

The analysis found the discrepancy to be not simply reflective of lower incomes among ethnic minority adults.

For example, despite earning more on average than white British adults, Chinese and Indian adults spend a larger share of their income on housing, with 16 per cent and 15 per cent going towards costs.

The report put at least half of the affordability gap down to differences in age, tenure and region, with the exception of Pakistani adults, where the factors explained 42 per cent of the gap. 

Low home ownership was identified as the biggest driver, but a large portion of it remains “unexplained.”

The study examined the theory that the affordability gap is driven by the need for larger homes for bigger families, but found people more likely to live in overcrowded and intergenerational households.

It found that one in six Pakistani, black African, and other black adults live in overcrowded homes.

This made them over nine times more likely to live in overcrowded homes than white British counterparts.

Black African and Bangladeshi-headed households are three times as likely to live in damp conditions, compared with white British adults (9 and 10 per cent of homes have damp respectively, compared with 3 per cent).

The think tank underlined the need for an official inquiry and cited that 9 per cent of Arab people and 7 per cent of Black Caribbean people have reported ethnic discrimination in accessing housing within the last five years.

Resolution Foundation economist Camron Aref-Adib said: “This affordability gap can’t be fully explained by where people live and whether they own or rent. 

“Ethnic minority families are at the sharp end of Britain’s housing crisis and would benefit most from actions to tackle it, such as building more homes and strengthening rights for private renters.

“But the possibility of structural discrimination in our housing market is a serious concern, and one that warrants an official inquiry.”