A report from national charity Citizens Advice has outlined that some parts of the UK are experiencing major housing challenges. These include there being not enough homes for young people or those willing to downsize.
Pressing issues
Other issues that the report identifies are the cost of maintaining a home, mortgage debt, rising rents and being unsuccessful in selling the property in the current market. The charity is calling for a wider, nationwide debate on the challenges facing homeowners, which go past simply getting onto the first rung of the property ladder.
‘Peoples’ housing challenges vary by where they live,’ notes Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice. ‘Across the country too many people are living in homes that don’t meet their needs from private renters in a damp property or home owners who can’t afford to move,’ she added.[1]
Guy continued by saying that, ‘housing is one of the top issues people turn to us for help with, but within this we see a huge range of different problems.’[1]
Debates
‘We need a broad-ranging debate about the different housing challenges facing the nation, one that moves beyond just trying to get people onto the property ladder,’ Guy went on to suggest. She believes that, ‘the new Government has the opportunity now to look at housing problems in the round and consider how best to address the range of challenges faced by renters and home owners alike.’[1]
[1] http://www.propertywire.com/news/europe/uk-housing-issues-report-2015061710641.html