Overheating in UK Homes: Are We Prepared for Hotter Summers?

For decades, conversations about healthy homes in the UK have focused heavily on one priority: keeping people warm.

Insulation, double glazing, draught-proofing and other energy-efficiency improvements can help homes retain heat during winter and reduce wasted energy.

But hotter summers raise another important question: how well do our homes cope when we need to keep heat out?

Overheating in UK homes is increasingly part of the conversation about healthy housing, climate resilience and the condition of the places people live.

How common is overheating in UK homes?

Research led by the University of East London found a substantial increase in households reporting summer overheating. The study compared responses from almost 1,600 UK households with earlier survey data and reported an increase from 18% in 2011 to 80% during the 2022 summer heatwaves.

That figure should be understood in context: it is based on households reporting uncomfortable warmth rather than a measure showing that 80% of every UK home is permanently unsafe or overheated.

Even so, it highlights an important issue. The same research found that overheating was being experienced across different types of homes and that many households reported effects such as disrupted sleep.

The English Housing Survey also tracks residents reporting that their homes become uncomfortably hot, providing another indication that summertime conditions inside homes deserve attention alongside winter warmth.

Why overheating is more than a comfort issue

A home becoming very hot can affect much more than whether a room feels comfortable.

Excessive indoor heat can affect sleep and everyday wellbeing, and some people can be more vulnerable to heat-related health risks than others.

The condition of the home matters too. Residents may have limited ability to cool a property if, for example, windows cannot be opened properly, ventilation is inadequate or another defect makes it harder to manage indoor temperatures.

This is why it is useful to distinguish between hot weather outside and an excess heat problem within the home.

What can make a home more likely to overheat?

There is rarely one single cause. The risk can be influenced by the design and condition of the property, its location and how easily residents can manage heat.

Factors can include:

• limited or ineffective ventilation
• large areas of glazing exposed to direct sunlight
• limited external or internal shading
• single-aspect flats where cross-ventilation is difficult
• top-floor or highly exposed properties
• faults that prevent windows or ventilation systems working properly
• building design that allows heat to build up and remain indoors

That means two homes experiencing the same outdoor temperature may feel very different inside.

Does insulation cause homes to overheat?

It is too simplistic to say that insulation itself causes overheating.

Energy-efficiency improvements remain important for reducing heat loss and helping homes stay warmer in winter. But insulation, airtightness, ventilation, shading, glazing and the way a building is used all interact.

A well-performing home needs to work throughout the year.

The challenge is therefore not choosing between warm homes and cool homes. It is creating homes that can retain heat when needed while also managing excessive heat during warmer periods.

UK homes were often designed for a cooler climate

Much of the UK's housing stock was built when prolonged periods of extreme summer heat were less prominent in housing design and everyday experience.

The UK's 2022 heatwave, when temperatures exceeded 40°C for the first time, demonstrated how different conditions can place pressure on homes and the people living in them.

Flats can present particular challenges where residents have limited opportunities for cross-ventilation or shading, although overheating is not restricted to any one property type.

As the climate changes, understanding how individual homes perform in different conditions becomes increasingly important.

Excess heat and social housing

For social housing in England, excess heat is also becoming increasingly relevant from a regulatory perspective.

From 30 November 2026, Phase 2 of Awaab's Law extends the requirements for significant hazards to include excess heat, alongside other specified hazards.

Government guidance describes excess heat as a threat to health arising from excessively high indoor air temperatures. It includes situations where residents cannot cool their home or seek relief because of a defect in the dwelling.

Importantly, the guidance also explains that Awaab's Law does not automatically apply simply because outside temperatures are particularly high. The circumstances of the resident and whether a defect in the home is contributing to the risk can matter when a landlord assesses the situation.

This makes good information particularly important: what is happening in the home, when it happens, whether something is preventing the home from being cooled and how conditions are affecting the household.

What should residents record if their home becomes excessively hot?

If you live in social housing and are concerned about excessive heat inside your home, keeping a simple record can help explain what you are experiencing.

Useful information could include:

• which rooms are becoming particularly hot
• when the problem occurs and how long it lasts
• whether windows or ventilation can be used normally
• any faults or repair problems that make it harder to cool the home
• photographs or videos where they help show a relevant defect
• when you reported the issue to your landlord
• repair or report reference numbers
• whether the situation is changing or becoming more difficult to manage

You do not need to diagnose the cause yourself. Clear information about what you can see and experience can help your landlord understand the situation.

If there is a repair problem contributing to the issue, our guide explains how to report a repair to your landlord and what information can be useful to keep.

Healthy homes need to work all year round

Damp and mould, cold homes, energy affordability, repairs and building safety remain important housing issues.

But healthy housing also means considering what happens when temperatures rise.

For housing providers, this creates a broader challenge: understanding not only the static characteristics of a property but also how that home is performing and what residents are experiencing over time.

A resident reporting repeated excessive heat, a faulty window, inadequate ventilation or changing conditions can provide information that may not be visible in a traditional property record alone.

Those observations can become useful signals about the condition and performance of the home.

Building homes that are ready for the future

The answer is not to stop improving energy efficiency. It is to think about housing performance more holistically.

Homes increasingly need to be:

• warm enough in winter
• manageable during hotter summers
• affordable to run
• well ventilated
• safe and healthy to live in

As housing adapts to a changing climate, understanding the relationship between the property, its condition and the resident's experience will become increasingly valuable.

How House Krowd sees it

At House Krowd, we believe understanding a home should go beyond isolated pieces of information.

Residents experience their homes every day. They can see when conditions change, when a repair affects how a home performs and when a problem appears repeatedly.

Capturing those experiences alongside information about the property can help build a clearer picture of the home's condition over time.

Frequently asked questions about overheating in homes

What does overheating in a home mean?

Overheating generally describes indoor temperatures becoming uncomfortably or excessively high. In a housing-safety context, excess heat can become a hazard where high indoor temperatures create a risk to health.

What can cause a home to overheat?

Several factors can contribute, including solar gain through windows, limited shading, poor or restricted ventilation, the design and orientation of the property and defects that make it difficult for residents to cool the home.

Can social housing tenants report excessive heat to their landlord?

If you are concerned about conditions inside your social housing home, you can report the issue to your landlord. Explain what is happening, where and when it occurs, and mention any repair or property defect that may be contributing to the problem.

Does Awaab's Law cover excess heat?

From 30 November 2026, Phase 2 of Awaab's Law in England extends its significant-hazard requirements to excess heat and several other hazards. Whether a particular situation falls within the requirements depends on the circumstances and the assessment of the hazard.

Should I keep a record if my home repeatedly becomes too hot?

Yes. Recording when and where the problem occurs, any relevant property defects, reports to your landlord and changes over time can create useful context about what is happening in the home.