The private sector housing evidence base: getting good practice into publication to help enhance the positive health impacts of housing interventions

Housing is a key health determinant and whilst the private housing sector (owner occupied and privately rented) is the majority tenure with some of the worst conditions and most vulnerable occupants, evidence based interventions remain particularly challenging. There is a constant tension as to whether private sector housing is a health promoting environment or a commercial asset, posing major complexities for those involved in addressing conditions. Whilst evidence based practice has become of increasing policy importance, there remains a dearth of publications of the effectiveness of housing interventions even though Environmental Health Practitioners and their colleagues routinely deliver a wealth of successful and innovative strategies that tackle inequalities and improve health in cost effective and proactive ways. The joint Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and University of Greenwich Private Sector Housing Evidence Base provides a portal into existing published information but perhaps more importantly encourages colleagues to publish their practice within editorial help and support, demonstrating how and why their interventions have been successful, disseminating research and good practice as well as encouraging further resource allocation in this often vexed and highly complex housing sector.