Taylor Scott International News
More people dream of becoming home owners in the UK with new research showing 73% aspire to owning a property, up from 65% four years ago. However some 78% of aspiring home owners are concerned about the availability and quality of homes, up 6% from last year, and house prices, the ability to get on the property ladder and saving for a deposit continue to top the nation’s list of housing concerns Overall the 2016 home owner survey conducted by YouGov for the HomeOwners Alliance and BLP Insurance suggests that the housing crisis is deepening as concerns mount about the availability and quality of homes. While the desire to own is rising, the ability of first time buyers to get on the housing ladder and saving for a deposit remains the top concerns nationally, at 82% and 80% respectively. On top of this, the proportion of aspiring homeowners who say that the availability of housing is a serious problem has increased to 78%, up from 72% last year. Aspiring home owners are also increasingly concerned about the quality of housing, with 60% saying it is a serious problem. The survey shows that the housing crisis is most acute in the capital, as Londoners head to the polls to elect a new mayor. However, there is a noticeable drop in concern about the rates of stamp duty, in the wake of the government’s reforms of the stamp duty system. Concern about negative equity has slumped among the UK overall to 44% from 64% two years ago, as house prices have continued to rise. ‘Despite government initiatives aimed at helping home owners, the housing crisis is deepening across the country, with ever more non-home owners wanting their own home, and ever greater concern about the lack of housing,’ said Paula Higgins, chief executive of the HomeOwners Alliance. ‘Many government policies have boosted demand for homes, but what this survey shows is that the real problem is the desperate shortage of houses. Until the government tackles the fundamental issue that we just don’t have enough good quality homes, the housing crisis will continue to deepen and a generation will continue to have their dreams of homeownership crushed,’ she added. According to Kim Vernau, chief executive of BLP Insurance, the current situation is a critical juncture for the construction industry and housing market. ‘The government urgently needs to speed up the delivery of new homes for aspiring first time buyers. Tenures of all types are required across the country and affordable housing and social housing should also be a priority,’ he said. ‘Balancing these competing demands is a challenging task, particularly given the shortage of labour skills that we are currently witnessing in the construction industry. This is likely to get worse in the absence of key initiatives to help address this critical issue and the new Housing and Planning Bill and threat of… Taylor Scott International
Taylor Scott International, Taylor Scott
