The BBC wrote a magazine article to coincide with this news about some radical solutions that have been suggested to combat the housing issue - I'm not sure I agree with them but I can see the pros and cons:
- Encourage the elderly out of big houses
I understand that some elderly people live in big homes because they are keeping a hold to the past and also to allow their family to inherit the homes once they pass away but in all honesty, those big homes are unnecessary for them, especially if only 1-2 people live there. However, it's not just the elderly so it shouldn't be targeted to just affect them - there are plenty of people living in big homes when it is not necessary but if they can afford it, how can you justify removing them to allow a bigger family to live there who may need benefits and loans to run the property instead?
My thoughts - maybe, but it would need to target anyone in unnecessarily large homes and take into account of the earnings of those living there with their payment history for amenities within the property. - Less restrictive planning
Around 13% of the UK is green belt, which stops property developers building homes in those areas. The government has proposed to reform the planning laws surrounding green belts, which would allow property developers to build more freely. I'm not sure about this idea - I see that allowing more houses to be built where there is a lot of land would help the housing issue, but I wouldn't like to see all green belts disappear because of this.
My thoughts - I'm not sure with this one, it would have to be stringent which it might as well stay as it is - Contain the population growth
How could you contain the population growth? According to the Migration Watch, over 33% of houses over the next 25 years will be a result in immigration - basically immigrants are to blame... I'm not sure I agree with this - yes, immigrants do force the country to house more people and increase the population, but to blame them is not right. Do we stop letting others live here? Would that help the UK?
My thoughts - don't blame immigration, however some measures may be taken as to the rules they have to follow (e.g. have to get a job within X amount of months and last in a job for over 12 months etc) - Let or sell empty properties
Apparently there are over 300,000 homes in the UK that have been empty for over 6 months, all because it is cheaper to run an empty property than it is to renovate and populate. One suggestion is to force landlords to either sell these properties after a certain period of time or offer a lower rent for those willing to take on renovating the property themselves.
My thoughts - I'm not sure about the renting offer but I do agree that vacant lots should be sold to those who actually want it. - Ban second homes
I can see the appeal of having a second home but if you are using the second home as a holiday home, you are obviously not occupying it for a long period of time (unless it's a caravan and you visit it each weekend!). George Monbiot, a columnist for the Guardian, has suggested that the council tax for the second home should be increased to make it less appealing to have one.
My thoughts - unless the second home is used for more than so many months in the year, I agree the council tax should be more. However, banning them is extreme as they can obviously afford it. Maybe in those months the second home is not occupied by the owner, it should be rented out to those who need it (or used as a holiday home?) - Guarantee mortgage payments
There are a lot of people wishing to get on the property ladder who can't afford the high rates mortgage lenders are offering at the moment. The Home Builders Foundation have suggested that mortgage lenders agree to lend on terms that those trying to buy a property can afford. Obviously, we don't want a repeat of the fiasco that led us and many other countries into a recession, but if the "government, house builders and mortgage lenders club together to fund an insurance scheme that would underwrite mortgages where the lender defaults", more people would be able to afford to buy a property.
My thoughts - as someone who would one day like to own their own home, I can see the benefit to this but I also see a tax being added somewhere down the line. - Live with family generations
It has been suggested that families live together over more than just one generation (e.g. grandparents, children and grandchildren), allowing more homes to become available for other families. A number of households already act like this, especially those who can't afford a place of their own. However, living with family can cause unnecessary stress.
My thoughts - I'm not sure I like this idea. Although I love my family to bits, I don't think we could all live together (especially as my family is HUGE!). What about my fella's family? Do they live with us or do we all live with them? I can't imagine this being a brilliant idea as we all prefer our own space. - Build more council homes
Back when Margaret Thatcher was around, she introduced the right to buy your home, thus many bought their own council homes as soon as they could. Nowadays, there are hardly any council homes to go around and the waiting list gets longer and longer each year. However, the connotations of council homes in the UK allows bring up thoughts of gangs in high rise flats or run down areas.
My thoughts - it is necessary to give affordable housing to those who need it, but I can't see the council doing this any time soon. Maybe not the answer but I think we are on the right track with this suggestion.
So, after that, I have no idea what the best way is to deal with the housing issues and population growth, and I don't think the government does either. I don't think this particular government will actually start a fix for this in the next few years.
Could it be a case of introducing laws about how many children families can have or forcing families to live in smaller houses and ridding the UK of green belts to allow the building of more houses? Who knows...
