People who live in rented houses age faster.

The study, conducted by experts from the University of Adelaide (Australia), published in the British Medical Journal in October 2023, was based on a survey of the lives and housing quality of 1,500 British people and used DNA data to assess the aging level of each person.

The survey ensured objective factors, including property ownership (rented or purchased); type of house living; government financial support; living area and biological age of the research participants at the same time.

The results showed that renters aged twice as fast as unemployed people, and 50% faster than the effects of smoking. Notably, on average, the aging process of renters increased by 2-8 weeks per year.

"Problems of not being able to afford rising rents; problems with neighbours and landlords; and the stigma of renting are all contributing factors to biological ageing," said Amy Clare, the lead researcher on the study.

He also revealed that cramped living conditions or inadequate heating, environmental pollution, and dust also negatively impact health.

Government-subsidised tenancies do not face this problem, as they do not face the same stresses as private tenants about money and relationships.

In fact, rents in Australia are different from those in the UK or the US, but Giselle Routhier, director of the health and housing laboratory at NYU Grossman School of Medicine (USA), said the findings were not new.

“If you don’t feel safe and secure in a home, it can be difficult to manage your day-to-day life, let alone develop medical conditions,” says Giselle.

Despite the impressive results, the University of Adelaide researchers also emphasized that the findings are observational and cannot be definitively confirmed that renting a home will accelerate the aging process. This process is also influenced by many external factors such as staying up late, eating late at night or being sedentary.