shortage of homes in the UK?

Seabee42

Need is a very interesting term.

We do not "need" new houses for a static population as such (sure some replacement some regeneration etc). There would be no catastrophe if we did not. Please explain my stupidity?

Whether its desirable depends on choices and what the population wants. Should people be allowed to live in massive houses with large plots of land whilst a tower block of flats on the same plot houses hundreds? Should the goal be single occupancy? If so lets build loads more one bedroom boxes and we can knock down bigger buildings freeing up loads of non green land.

Would it keep the population happy?

cells

Seabee42 wrote: »

France is probably (socialist government) buying short term growth of GDP by building houses
.

France has been building 300-400k a year for the last two decades (maybe longer but I've not checked further back) so its not some super build rate for last year to up GDP figures

So what is the difference. Is France building far too many and have been doing for 20 plus years? Or is the uk building far too few?

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

Britain has been under-building for decades.

The result is a massive housing shortage, and sky high prices and rent.

Those rents and prices will get much, much higher too, without a building programme of somewhere around 250k to 350k houses a year for the next couple of decades.


The past.

David Pretty CBE, co-author of the report, said:

“Our analysis shows that in England we could be approaching a 1 million housing shortfall by the end of 2010.

With production at its lowest level in 80 years, the gap between housing supply and demand will, this year alone, be around 150,000 homes, equivalent to the size of Nottingham.”

“If we ignore this problem and reduce public intervention and investment in new supply of both private and affordable housing, there could be serious social and economic consequences, not least record housing waiting lists and more pain for beleaguered first time buyers.

http://www.tcpa.org.uk/resources.php?action=resource&id=639


The present.

Bureau data shows that in the past year alone, spending by 12 of Britain’s biggest cities on B&B rooms increased by 25.34% to £91.1m.

Jack Dromey MP, Labour’s Shadow Housing Minister, said: ‘Ministers’ failure to get a grip on this crisis is causing misery for tens of thousands of families who are being uprooted from their local communities, friends, schools and places of work.

‘Local councils are being forced into making impossible decisions, placing families in completely inappropriate bed and breakfasts. And taxpayers are footing the bill to the tune of millions of pounds every week.’

The Bureau’s data shows the amount spent on all temporary accommodation across 12 of Britain’s biggest cities was up 5.7% to £464m last year. And London councils have budgeted for further significant overall rises this financial year.

http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2013/05/19/uk-housing-crisis-costing-taxpayer-2bn/



The future.

Britain’s failure to build enough homes is set to put a colossal strain on the housing market when the Noughties baby-boomers hit adulthood in 2020, a report claims today.

Births in England between 2001 and 2011 totalled 6.9 million, a rise of 22 per cent on the same period a decade earlier, but only 1.6 million new homes were completed over the same period. Now a report from the National Housing Federation reveals that the jump in births, combined with a decade of insufficient house-building, could see millions of young people struggle with rising housing prices and rents, or live with their parents for decades.

It predicts that first-time buyer house prices will increase by 42 per cent by 2020, and estimates that rents in 2020 will be 44 per cent higher than they are today – forcing 3.7 million young people to remain living at home with their parents.

“We failed to fix the housing market for the Eighties baby-boomers because we simply didn’t build enough homes,” said Ruth Davison, National Housing Federation director. “Even with decent jobs, many are struggling to raise a mortgage deposit or pay their rent.

“The situation will be even worse for the Millennium children. If we expect them to take over the reins and drive the country forward, we must provide them with the foundations for a bright, stable future. We need to build more homes now.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/millennium-children-will-face-acute-housing-shortage-8725453.html

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

Oh, and Hi cells..... :wave:

Feel free to jump in over here as well....

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=149

AndyGuil

Perhaps France builds too many. There are lots for sale in the UK.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

AndyGuil wrote: »

There are lots for sale in the UK.

So what?

The number of houses for sale doesn't have any relevance to the shortage of housing.

Seabee42

Well it does, most house builders are sitting on huge blocks of land which they wont develop until they sell the current boxes.

If they increase supply they would have to lower their prices meaning less profit and sadly would make them more affordable they have no interest in that at all!

AndyGuil

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

So what?

The number of houses for sale doesn't have any relevance to the shortage of housing.

If the shortage was such that there no houses for sale then it would. I think what is actually being discussed is to do with flooding the market with houses whereas the UK does not.

propertyman

Well I disagree about New towns solving nothing. Its basic bid rent theorum at work here and with such a large public sector in London and the South East the idea would be to
a acquire land at existing use price plus compensation 73 Act stuff
b relocate government departments as anchor employers

build the accompanying houses and services and encourage those on housing lists here to move and use in part local unemployed to build them on a workfare to training to job scheme, avoiding european tendering rules leading to them being built by Romanians while the unemployed watch.

Business move acordingly to the attraction of "rates free" sites with NI and tax advantages.

The cheaper land proces are reflected in lower rent and house prices so the wage goes further and input costs are lower making it viable to build and make stuff , not import it.

Moreover it would run as a not for profit centrally funded scheme "NTC" not under a local council who will want to appropriate all the rates to pay for parades and wellness gardens.

Housing and services and transport free up here as a result. Empty buildings go to housing.