Why Thatcher's Home Ownership Dream Has Not Held Up

Three decades since Margaret Thatcher championed her vision of a society where three out of four families would own their own home, a report suggests private landlords have become more powerful than ever before. In 1985, 61pc of UK households were occupied by home owners. Thirty years on, that figure is the same at 61pc. Despite a surge in home ownership in the 1990s, the proportion of people owning their own properties has steadily declined since 2000. At the same time, the rental market has been turned on its head. The proportion of households renting from private landlords has doubled in thirty years. In 1985, 30pc of households rented from public landlords, and 9pc from private landlords. In 2015, 22pc of British adults are now renting from private landlords and just 9pc from public bodies. Read more on the Daily Telegraph website.

Private Renters Increase While Home Ownership Flat Lines

More people are renting their homes from private landlords than ever before, says a detailed new report on ownership in Britain over the last thirty years. It reveals that thirty years ago 61% of the UK’s households owned their own home. The number increased through the 1990s but dropped off from the year 2000 and stands once again at 61%, says the report, Unfinished Business The Ownership Agenda, thirty Years On, published by the independent think tank ResPublica. The main shift in the ownership of the UK’s housing stock is around rented accommodation, with the number of households renting from private landlords doubling in thirty years. In 1985 30% of households rented from public landlords, and 9% from private landlords. Today the emphasis has changed, with 22% renting from private landlords and 9% from public. Read more on the ResPublica website.