Britain faces a housing crisis where affordability, not just availability, is the main issue. Despite having more homes than households, the high cost of living means properties are often out of reach for those on average incomes.
This is simply a case of using the tax system to encourage older people to take decisions that would benefit them too
It is a woeful way of making the best use of the limited housing stock we have, yet politicians are too scared to talk about it. And so the situation goes on: the bedrooms that could be used to house the families desperately in need of them are instead being left empty: doors closed, heating off, moths their only inhabitants.
The market is not solving the problem, either: despite a shortage of three- and four-bedroom houses, developers make more profit cramming one and two-bedroom flats into their developments, meaning the supply of family-sized homes is failing match the demand. A carrot-and-stick approach is needed. First, councils need to do a better job of making sure that there are attractive homes available for older people to move into. Retirement communities, which are much more common in other parts of Europe, should be a bigger part of local plans. This could also help with the loneliness epidemic afflicting Britain’s pensioners. One in five over-65s say they frequently feel lonely – a situation not helped by so many living alone in large, mostly empty homes.
Housing Crisis Affordability Availability Real Estate Property Prices Households
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