32 Million People Think Britain’s Homes Are Not “Fit For Purpose”

In this year's HomeOwners Survey, concerns about the quality of Britain’s housing stock and our outdated leasehold system have soared faster than at any point since 2014. We take a look at worries UK housing isn't fit for purpose - and other issues keeping us all awake at night....

·         63% of UK adults are worried about the quality of housing stock

·         60% of UK adults say the leasehold system is a serious concern

·         85% say house prices and saving for a deposit are the biggest housing issues

·         Concerns mounting over negative equity and gazundering

·         Satisfaction with housing highest in Wales and lowest in Northern Ireland

Read more on the Homeowners Alliance website.

https://hoa.org.uk/2019/03/32-million-britains-homes-not-fit-for-purpose/

Over 250,000 Have Given Up On The Dream Of Homeownership

Over 250,000 non-homeowners appear to have given up on the dream of homeownership in the past year alone, according to the 2017 Homeowners Survey, an annual study into the concerns, views and issues affecting homeowners and aspiring homeowners. The study found that for the first time in five years, there has been a drop in the number of non-homeowners who aspire to own. In 2013, 65% of non-homeowners aspired to homeownership, with this number increasing every year and peaking at 73% in 2016. But this year, the numbers have fallen for the first time, back to 71%. The stats mirror the rise of the government’s flagship Help to Buy programme which is now receding with the cancellation of the mortgage guarantee part of the scheme in 2016. Read more on the Homeowners Alliance website.

If You Own Your Own Home You Are Likely To Live Longer

Across most of the UK there is a direct correlation between homeownership levels and life expectancy according to an analysis by the HomeOwners Alliance; where homeownership levels are higher, so is life expectancy. However, homeownership levels have been declining for the past decade (peaking in 2002 at 69.7% down to 63.8% according to latest official figures from the April-June 2016 Labour Force Survey). High demand for homes is pushing house prices to unaffordable levels. Political parties, experts and the government all agree that the underlying cause of the housing crisis is that we have not been building enough new homes for decades. Read more on the Housingnet website.

Electorate Divided Over Right-To-Buy

The country is missing out on the most popular housing policy, identified in a survey for the Home Owners Alliance (HOA), because it was implemented by Boris Johnson. His policy to require developers to market new homes in the UK before marketing them overseas was a clear winner in the survey, with 80% of adults supporting it and only 3% opposed. Labour came up with second most popular housing policy: charging higher council tax rates on homes that are not occupied, with 70% supporting it, and only 13% opposed. Meanwhile, the electorate is more divided over the Right-to-Buy, though support is somewhat stronger than opposition, neither ‘faction’ holds a majority, and opposition to the policy tends to be higher in areas with large concentrations of social housing. Read more on the HOA website.