In Bleak House the main areas of London are commonly thought of as slums. These were dirty places that were unliveable to our standards in modern times. These slums were also not owned by the people living there, and the landlords were commonly referred to as slumlords who commonly tried to keep their tenants in the slums. From 1961 to 1981 the percentage of homes that were local authority-owned homes skyrocketed from 21% all the way to 46%. This is a massive increase, doubling the percentage of homes that are owned in 20 years is incredible. This was a massive increase in the quality of life for so many people. 

Source: Ross, Cathy, and John Clark. London: The Illustrated History. Penguin Books, 2011.