Tag Archives: charity
Research reveals hundreds of thousands facing eviction in England
More than 148,000 renting households in England were put at risk of losing their home in the past year, equivalent to 350,000 renters, according to new research. The figures from housing charity Shelter come from an analysis of statistics from the Ministry of Justice. Shelter identified 'home threat hotspots' across the country where renters face the greatest risk of losing their home, which comes as a result of the chronic shortage of affordable homes combined with crippling welfare cuts. Enfield topped the list with one in 23 rented homes under threat of eviction. This was followed by Barking and Dagenham with one in 23, Havering with one in 27 and Croydon also with one in 27. But Shelter says that the problem stretches far beyond London. Areas such as Luton, with one in 28 rented homes at risk, Thurrock one in 34 and Peterborough with one in 35 also made it into the country's top 20 home threat hotspots. Additionally, the volume of people facing eviction who are coming to Shelter for advice is getting higher and higher. In the past year alone, over 9,800 people facing eviction have called the Shelter helpline for advice and 500,000 people have visited the Shelter website's eviction advice pages. An example is Angela, is a 35 year old mum from Bristol. Last year, her landlord increased the rent which she couldn't afford to pay so was evicted, and she's been sofa surfing with her five year old son for the past eight months. ‘I'd managed to really build a home for my son, where we felt part of the community. It was really scary going from that to waiting for the bailiffs to throw us out. I desperately wanted to be in a position to tell my son that we were moving house but instead, we've been sofa surfing and relying on the good grace of friend's to let us stay,’ she said. ‘For me, home is the start of everything. It gives you more than an address; it gives you a life and a community base. For my son, it's just as important. I'm so worried about him and how this will affect him long term. Luckily, we're still getting ongoing support from Shelter so I know we've always got someone to turn to for advice,’ she added. According to Nadeem Khan, helpline adviser for Shelter, every day the charity is contacted by people who are struggling to keep up with their rent. ‘Many are in total desperation after the court papers land on their doormat and the threat of being evicted becomes very real,’ said Khan. Further research from Shelter shows that some 59% of adults aged 18 to 44 in Britain say they will be forced to put their lives on hold because of housing problems, new research has found. Overall the current housing shortage is reshaping how millions of people live their lives and creating entirely new timeframes for when they hit traditional… Continue reading
New property for sale figures down across the UK
The number of new properties being listed by estate agents fell by 6.6% across the UK in August, adding to the lack of properties on the market for sale, new research has found. The biggest month on month fall was in Taunton where the number fell 31.1% new property listings in Loughborough dropped 28.5% despite seeing a significant increase of 12.6% the previous month. In London the lack of supply is reaching critical levels, according to the supply index compiled by online estate agent House Simple. The number of Londoners putting their properties on the market has fallen dramatically over the summer, with new property listings down 24.8% since June. The index, compiled from data relating to the number of new properties listed on Rightmove every month in more than 100 major towns and cities across the UK and all London boroughs, shows that the Midlands and South of England have been the worst hit regions in August, with 12 of the 15 cities experiencing the biggest drop in new property listings last month in these areas. It also reveals that since the start of June, not a single borough in London has seen an overall rise in new property listings. Kensington and Chelsea has been the worst affected borough with new property listings down 43.6% since the start of June, while the borough of Haringey saw new stock levels fall 36% since the start of the summer. ‘Across the country there are thousands of frustrated buyers, with finance in place, ready to purchase, but the property supply reservoir has dried up,’ said Alex Gosling, the firm’s chief executive officer. ‘They must be scratching their heads as to why sellers aren’t marketing, as there’s no clear or single reason why sellers are sitting on their hands. The general election was expected to be the catalyst for sellers returning to the market,’ he pointed out. ‘We would expect to see activity drop off over the summer holidays, so September will give us a better gauge as to how imbalanced supply and demand are right now. The hope is that after a summer when supply fell off a cliff, sellers will rediscover their appetite over the coming months,’ he concluded. Continue reading
UK annual property price growth dips slightly, latest official data shows
UK house prices increased by 5.2% in the year to July 2015, taking the mix adjusted price of a home to £282,000, according to the latest data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). This mean annual growth was down slightly from 5.7% in the year to June 2015 and excluding London and the South East, which tend to have higher prices, the average annual growth was 4.4%. A breakdown of the figures show that the average mix-adjusted house prices in July 2015 stood at £295,000 in England, £173,000 in Wales, £154,000 in Northern Ireland and £196,000 in Scotland. London continued to be the English region with the highest average house price at £525,000 and the North East had the lowest average house price at £156,000. London, the South East and the East all had prices higher than the UK average price of £282,000. House price annual inflation was 5.6% in England, 0.3% in Wales, 7.4% in Northern Ireland and down 1.3% in Scotland. Annual house price increases in England were driven by an annual increase in the East of 8.3% and the South East at 6.7%. The data also shows that in July 2015, prices paid by first time buyers were 4.4% higher on average than in July 2014. For owner occupiers (existing owners), prices increased by 5.5% for the same period. Overall average house prices in seven of the nine 9 English regions are at record levels, with prices in the North West surpassing the pre-economic downturn peak of January 2008 for the first time. The only English regions not now at record levels are the North East and Yorkshire and The Humber. It is weak supply that is driving up prices, according to Rob Weaver, director of property at residential investment platform Property Partner. ‘The supply issue is nothing less than an enigma. Given that properties overall are commanding decent prices, you would expect to see more people selling. Something in the market is broken. Even though employment levels are strong, consumer confidence may not be as robust as surveys suggest,’ he said. ‘Many households are almost certainly wary of not being able to secure a mortgage under the new lending rules, and that could be impacting their intent to move. Households have almost certainly become more conservative in the wake of the global financial crisis. Paying debt down has become more appealing than racking it up,’ he pointed out. ‘Many are doubtless sitting on their hands until the economic picture gets clearer because the recovery has become less definitive during the first half of the year. This latest data shows that the property market has become a lot more balanced, with sustainable levels of price growth across a number of regions. It is almost a relief to see prices in the capital growing at 5.5%, compared to the high double digit growth rates of a two years ago,’ he added. Peter Rollings, chief executive officer of Marsh & Parsons, comments pointed… Continue reading
