Search

In the late 20th century, homeownership became entrenched in a wider societal project that sought to transform the economy and increase social inclusion. This project focused on mortgaged owner-occupation as a means not only to acquire a stable home, but also to realise greater economic security via asset accumulation. The underlying ideology featured an implicit promise that homeownership would be widespread, equalising and secure. Despite transformations in market conditions, such narratives have continued to underscore policy approaches and housing marketisation. This article directly confronts this promise. It first unpacks its key tenets before investigating their currency across three classic 'homeowner societies': the US, the UK and Australia. Our empirical findings reveal declining access to homeownership, increasing inequalities in concentrations of housing wealth and intensifying house-price volatility undermining asset security. The article contends that the imperative of homeownership that has sustained housing policy since the 1970s may be increasingly considered a 'false promise'. Our analyses expose contemporary housing market dynamics that instead appear to enhance inequality and insecurity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although housing crises are rooted in both demand-side pressures and supply-side blockages, perceived regulatory impediments to building new homes are the softest target for policy reform. Critics argue that the English planning system's case-by-case consideration of development applications hands excessive power to existing homeowners, who regularly veto those applications, thereby generating uncertainty for the development sector, impeding supply, and amplifying wealth inequalities. Drawing on interviews with planning and development actors, this paper explores the potential of rules-based zoning, in which consultation is restricted to plan-making and compliant applications proceed 'automatically', to address the supply sub-component of the housing crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although previous research shows that family dynamics and parental socioeconomic status influence the timing of young adults' first entry into homeownership, much less is known about how the role of family factors may vary across countries with different housing systems. In this article, we use panel survey data from Britain and Germany to compare how family life course careers and parental socioeconomic background influence young adults' initial entry into homeownership in these two divergent national contexts. The results show that in Britain, first-time homeownership transitions are tightly synchronized with partnership formation. By contrast, in Germany first moves into homeownership typically occur later around or after the arrival of children. Parental owner-occupation accelerates entry into homeownership in both contexts, while the effects of other parental characteristics are relatively muted. Furthermore, the results highlight how individual socioeconomic factors are critical determinants of entering owner-occupation. This is particularly true in Britain where there is a strong socioeconomic gradient in first-time homeownership transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the UK, housing has been identified as a major sector for contributing to the 80% reduction in carbon emissions over the 1990 baseline by 2050, required by the Climate Change Act 2008. However, pre-1919 housing stock is the least energy efficient and consequently poses challenges to meeting this target. Using a mixed methods approach, the current study demonstrates that, in actuality, there is a significant potential for reducing emissions among this sub-sector of housing, and that the major barriers to energy efficiency retrofits concern a lack of funding, the payback period for the investment, disruption to home life and finding a trustworthy and skilled installer. Moreover, this study finds that homeowners are motivated primarily by the desire to improve home comfort and aesthetics along with a reduction in energy bills rather than in reducing carbon emissions. The paper concludes with recommendations for improving the viability of retrofitting pre-1919 homes through enhanced financial resources, policy support and the promotion of social and economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much attention has been devoted to examining the absolute benefits of home-ownership (e.g. security and autonomy). This paper, by contrast, is concerned with conceptualising and testing the relative benefits of home-ownership; those benefits that depend on an individual’s status in society. Home-ownership has previously been analysed as a social norm, implying that the relative benefits (costs) associated with being an owner (renter) are positively related to relevant others’ home-ownership values. The theoretical contribution of this paper is to additionally conceptualise home-ownership as a positional good, implying that the status of both home-owners and renters is negatively related to relevant others’ home-ownership consumption.The empirical contribution of this paper is to quantitatively test for these relative benefits in terms of subjective wellbeing. We run fixed effects regressions on three waves of the British Household Panel Study. We find that (1) a strengthening of relevant others’ home-ownership values is associated with increases (decreases) in the subjective wellbeing of home-owners (renters), and (2) an increase in relevant others’ home-ownership consumption decreases the life satisfaction of owners but has no effect for renters. Overall our findings suggest that (1) the relative benefits of home-ownership are both statistically significant and of a meaningful magnitude, and (2) home-ownership is likely to be both a social norm and a positional good. Without explicitly recognising these relative benefits, policymakers risk overestimating the contribution of home-ownership to societal wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding homeowners' renovation decisions is essential for policy and business activity to improve the efficiency of owner-occupied housing stock. This paper develops, validates and applies a novel modelling framework for explaining renovation decisions, with an emphasis on energy-efficiency measures. The framework is tested using quantitative data from a nationally-representative survey of owner-occupied households in the UK (n = 1028). The modelling advances formal representations of renovation decisions by including background conditions of domestic life to which renovating is an adaptive response. Path analysis confirms that three conditions of domestic life are particularly influential on renovation decisions: balancing competing commitments for how space at home is used; signalling identity through homemaking activities; and managing physical vulnerabilities of household members. These conditions of domestic life also capture the influence of property characteristics (age, type) and household characteristics (size, composition, length of tenure) on renovation decisions but with greater descriptive realism. Multivariate probit models are used to provide rigorous, transparent and analytically tractable representations of the full renovation decision process. Model fits to the representative national sample of UK homeowners are good. The modelling shows that renovation intentions emerge initially from certain conditions of domestic life at which point energy efficiency is not a distinctive type of renovation. The modelling also shows clearly that influences on renovation decisions change through the decision process. This has important implications for policy and service providers. Efficiency measures should be bundled into broader types of home improvements, and incentives should target the underlying reasons why homeowners decide to renovate in the first place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article surveys the territorial politics of housing policy with particular reference to the Conservative Party. It examines the how attempts to establish a new planning framework under the previous Coalition government came unstuck and sets out the implications of the planning impasse for home ownership and 'generation rent'. The territorial and tenure dimensions of the 2015 General Election are considered and possible future Conservative conflicts over land release are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper constructs a housing market model to analyse conditions for different generations of households in the UK. Previous policy work has suggested that baby-boomers have benefitted at the expense of younger generations. The model relies on a form of financial accelerator in which existing homeowners reinvest a proportion of the capital gains on moving home. The model is extended to look at homeownership probabilities. It also explains why an increasing share of mortgages has gone to existing owners, despite market liberalisation and securitisation. In addition, the model contributes to the explanation of volatility. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The UK housing market has exhibited persistent price volatility over the past 40 years, which has had deleterious social and economic consequences. These are felt most acutely by home-owners with mortgages. A goal of the Housing Market Taskforce was to find ways to create a socially sustainable housing market. Key aspects of this would be a better protection for home-owners and suitable alternatives for people who cannot safely access ownership. This article examines ways in which home-owners could be better protected from the consequences of volatility, through a mixture of prudential lending, responsible borrowing and an improved safety net. It also examines whether the private rented sector is capable of providing a safe alternative to full or partial ownership, and concludes that this is unlikely. Consequently, the role of the social rented sector remains crucial for providing security for those people who cannot access full or shared ownership safely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of psychosocial environments to health outcomes - physical health, mental health and wellbeing, and health behaviours - has been increasingly recognised in recent years, but more so in relation to the workplace than other settings. This paper seeks to extend this field of inquiry both conceptually and empirically. it argues that housing and neighbourhoods can equally be viewed as comprising an important residential psychosocial environment operating via processes of appearance, perceived relative position, control, status and empowerment. The paper goes on to demonstrate this approach by looking at the relationships between housing and neighbourhood psychosocial risk factors and psychosocial benefits and mental wellbeing for residents in relatively deprived areas. A range of psychosocial factors are positively associated with mental wellbeing, with the most important being: the attainment of feelings of residential and personal progress; having a sense of control at home; and the aesthetic qualities of the dwelling and neighbourhood environment. Empowerment in relation to both one's landlord and local area changes were both also important, although slightly less strongly associated with mental wellbeing. The perceived relative position of the dwelling and neighbourhood had the least strong associations with mental wellbeing once aspects of quality were taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to provide a deeper understanding of the significance and implications of being a subprime homeowner in the UK. The results indicate that subprime individuals represent a mixture of socioeconomic groups, predominantly included in the light adverse and near prime categories of subprime lending, for whom credit adversity is generally a temporary phenomenon, which is likely to represent a transitory event in their lives. These borrowers have been at the heart of the UK subprime mortgage market, actively targeted not only by specialist lenders but also, more crucially, by mainstream players. Whereas for some individuals this market has provided an opportunity to experience the emotional and financial aspects of homeownership positively; for others becoming a subprime mortgage holder has increased the difficulties in their lives, affected their financial capability, and worsened their standards of living. Thus, the impact of the risk-reward mechanisms of subprime products has proved to be a difficult reality for certain socioeconomic groups. Furthermore, given the progressive deterioration in the transparency of the financial services industry, a significant proportion of subprime individuals has, unsurprisingly, struggled to appreciate the reasons why they faced problems in obtaining credit or a mortgage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protection of human life and property from flooding is a strategic priority in the UK. We examine how to encourage home owners to protect themselves and their residences. A model of factors that influence the decision to buy flood-protection devices is tested using survey data from 2109 home owners. The results show that the majority of respondents have not purchased domestic flood protection (N = 1732; 82.1 %). Purchase of flood-protection devices was influenced by age; perceived seriousness; and beliefs about, and trust in, the role of regulators in managing flooding. In younger respondents the perceived seriousness of the dangers of flooding acted as precursors and barriers to action depending on individual sense of responsibility and agency. The second part of the study examines responsiveness to information. Information about flooding alone was insufficient to promote behavioural change, particularly among people who had not experienced a flood or who believed that they were not in a flood zone. Implications for understanding flood protection, managing agency issues, and flood-communication campaigns are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the failure of the government of Great Britain to protect its homeowners. It examines the country's housing policy during the second half of the 20th century, financial deregulation and the legal and regulatory framework with regards to repossessions. It also elaborates on the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) doctrine of positive obligation. Furthermore, it also discusses the appropriate measures to take and their potential effects of the housing market.

In the mid 1990s, Meen set out a series of propositions concerning the relationship between housing and the macro economy during the 1980s and early 1990s. This paper provides 10 further propositions for the early years of this century, taking into account recent research and policy concerns. The first five propositions concern housing market risk, whereas the remaining issues deal with the sustainability of homeownership. The empirical evidence presented finds that there is limited evidence for bubbles over the past 10 years and models of house prices are stable. Furthermore, housing possessions are unlikely to fall to the levels observed in the early 1980s. It is also suggested that the private rental market may not expand at the same rate as in the past 10 years, but there are risks to homeowners down the income distribution. Finally, the main beneficiaries of new affordability targets may be existing rather than new households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is about the changing character of housing assets, owned homes, and perhaps owner-occupiers themselves. It draws from two studies of UK homebuyers, whose lives are entangled in the materiality of housing, the meaning of home, and the mobilisation of money. This m61ange is facilitated by a new generation of financial services that render housing wealth interchangeable with the cash economy, turning owned homes into a hybrid of money and materials. In total 150 qualitative narratives are interrogated to document three key trends. First, a shift of households' disposition, from opting for ownership by chance to banking on housing by design. Second, a change of financial orientation as property-holding citizens illapse into asset-accumulating investors. Third, an ethically charged encounter between the governance of housing and the micropolitics of home, which is prompted by the growing fungibility of housing wealth as it inspires new styles of, and imperatives for, consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household surveys have recently started to collect data on the original purchase price of owner occupiers' homes. This provides a firmer basis for investigating the joint distribution of housing wealth, income and other personal characteristics than has hitherto existed. However, a number of difficulties arise which are discussed in this paper. A method is presented and validated, developed in the course of assessing the housing wealth of older home owners, for dealing with the specific problems associated with those who purchased their properties at discounted prices, whether through the Right to Buy or other routes. The method is based on data from the British Household Panel Survey, and subsequently applied to the UK Family Expenditure Survey to explore the housing wealth of older people. It also yields estimates of housing equity for younger people and can be implemented with other similar surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Results found social, political, physical, attitudinal, and economic vulnerability. • Buildings had many other fire safety defects, as well as flammable cladding. • Homeowners exposed to combustible cladding struggled to advance rectification works. • Building warranty had little value, meaning homeowners faced high financial costs. • Further support and consumer protection are required within the built environment. Flammable or combustible cladding has received increased attention across the world since the Grenfell disaster in the United Kingdom (UK). In Australia, thousands of buildings have been identified with flammable cladding, with some residents experiencing fires and others being advised to evacuate their homes. This study aims to investigate the vulnerability of people living in buildings identified with flammable cladding. Sixteen one-hour interviews were undertaken with owners of buildings with flammable cladding in Australia. The findings revealed that the physical vulnerability goes well beyond the flammable cladding, with many other fire safety defects emerging, including: defected fire-doors, issues with fire-resistant glass, and problems with egress routes. The owners were largely unsuccessful in returning the original builder to fix these issues, despite many properties still being under building warranty. This left homeowners economically vulnerable, as they would have to spend on legal fees (to sue the builder), take out loans, or use their savings, which was not possible for all homeowners. The owners' corporations lacked time, experience, and expertise for addressing the issues posed by flammable cladding and explained they needed additional support. However, they did not know who to trust in the industry for advice and rectification works; and were also receiving inconsistent messages from the different government bodies involved. Further research and consideration are required into reducing defects, increasing building quality, having more robust consumer protection systems, and providing economic support to consumers where necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper fills a gap in the literature surrounding the social and economic consequences of the rapid and widespread growth of home ownership in Great Britain. Hitherto, the debate has focused on the causes and consequences of the 'residualisation' of social rented housing. It has been characterised by economic conceptions of power influenced by Weberian and Marxist social theory. Foucault's work on power has made few inroads into this debate. Drawing upon a reading of Foucault's work, it is argued in this paper that home ownership has been subject to a process of normalisation , and that this is at least as important as widely rehearsed coerced exchange and social exclusion arguments in explaining the labelling of social rented housing estates. Evidence for the normalisation of home ownership is presented through an analysis of selected landmark policy documents and in data collected as part of an ethnographic study of home owners in Bristol undertaken in the early 1990s. The paper contends that the normalisation of one form of housing consumption has been instrumental in legitimising the residualisation of social rented housing and that if policies to encourage social balance and area based regeneration are to be successful then strategies to challenge the power relationships constituted by these discourses are crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the results of an exploratory survey of retired British home owners in France to help form a body of knowledge about elderly international migration. Examination of reasons for the purchase of homes in rural France by British home owners.

Reports on the impact of labour market developments on attitudes toward homeownership in the Great Britain. British Social Attitudes Survey; Influences on tenure preferences; Changes in labor market opportunities; Security and stability of incomes; Indications that the preference for owning over renting in Great Britain is not held equally in all sections of the population.

Probes problems on maintenance and repair of private homes of the poor in England. Homeowners' apparent satisfaction with poor conditions; Need for understanding of validity of housing satisfaction questionnaires for developing policies on urban renewal.

Presents an analytical model that predicts the factors that influence housing owners' repair and maintenance behavior in Great Britain. Factors which cause owners to invest in the maintenance and improvement of their properties; Link of disrepair with the characteristics of the dwelling.

This article reports that the continued loss of capacity in Great Britain's care homes is a tragedy for frail and vulnerable older people, the organization representing independent home owners has said. Reacting to figures released by analysts Laing& Buisson, which show that care home places for older and physically disabled people diminished by nearly 10,000 last year, the National Care Homes Association said it was deeply concerned at the continued loss of beds. Any home closure is a personal tragedy, causing incredible misery and heartache to the frail and vulnerable elderly who live there and for care homeowners and their staff. Laing& Buisson's annual market update, Care of Elderly People: Market Survey 2004, shows that in April this year there were 486,000 places in private, voluntary and public care homes.