It is widely accepted that there is a housing crisis in the UK, whether you can’t afford to get on the property ladder, apply for a mortgage, live in poor local authority properties or paying sky-high rents for poor quality dwellings. It seems that everyone you speak to has a serious issue with the home they live in.
Now a survey by Shelter has discovered that almost half of us (43 per cent) live in homes of poor quality. The charity set a living standard based on affordability, condition, stability, space and area and the results are depressing.
Overall 27 per cent believe their homes are too expensive, 18 per cent said the property was not in a decent state of repair and 11 per cent indicated that the dwelling was simply too small for their needs
These troubling results have led to the housing charity to demand “a national mission to get to grips with our housing crisis once and for all”.
Labour’s shadow housing minister John Healey said: “This report shows what people want from their home in Britain in 2016 – somewhere affordable, secure and in good condition. It shouldn’t be too much to ask.
“But for too many families a home that meets even these basic standards is beyond their reach, with housing pressures getting worse rather than better.”
Shelter’s chief executive Campbell Robb added: “A home is much more than bricks and mortar – it’s a place that should allow us to live and thrive, rather than just get by.
“Now is the time for a national mission to get to grips with our housing crisis once and for all.”