The English Housing Survey has recently been published, based on information collected from April 2015 to March 2016.
The first English Housing Survey was held in 1967, and looks at the condition of property, and the housing circumstances of people living in England. According to the research, people who are relatively new to an area are happier living there than those who have been in their home for 10 years or more. Safety in a neighbourhood was an issue for people aged 75 or over, with 60% saying that walking around at night was a concern.
First-time buyers accounted for 3% of households during 2015-16, with 654,000 homes. However, this number is less than the number of first-time buyers a decade earlier, which was 675,000. In 1995-96, the figure was 922,000.
The quality of housing in England appears to be better than in 1996, when 2.6 million homes had problems with damp. Th figure during 2015-16 had fallen to around one million. Basic repairs are also cheaper than they were in 2001, with the average cost falling from £27 for each square metre, to £16.
The number of people renting had increased during 2015-16, with around 20% of homes being rented. During the ‘80s and ‘90s, just 10% of homes were rented. However, 59% of those in privately rented homes in 2015-16 say that they intend to buy their own house eventually, although 65% say that affordability is the main barrier.
CeMAP qualified mortgage advisors can help buyers to find a mortgage best suited to their circumstances.
