Housing in the UK

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons 

In UK houses are defined largely by the number of bedrooms, which can be very misleading. A 5-bedroomed house might sound impressive but the bedrooms may be barely large enough to take a single bed. In this country we have the smallest average square footage of houses in Europe. According to this site UK houses average 818 sq. ft. compared with the Netherlands at 1261 sq. ft. and Belgium with 1293 sq. ft. (Information varies according to different sites.)

 Some new houses boast en suites to master bedrooms, downstairs ‘cloakrooms’, a study,  a conservatory and all the ‘latest’ mod cons, including an electric car charging point. Such houses leave little scope for individuality, apart from the furnishings, and no room for extension. Indeed, some new houses have already extended into the roof space. There is a penchant in this country to build as much as possible in the smallest available space, suitability notwithstanding. Thus, houses are built on known flood plains. One small business may be sold and the plot ‘redeveloped’ to allow the building of six housing units.

It is cheaper to extend an older house than to move. The trouble with that is that very few original ‘average’ houses exist for younger people to buy. In my area of Southern England, it seems that almost every other house has been extended to the n^th degree. Some houses are bought and demolished and bigger and not necessarily better houses built in their stead.

Current fashion dictates that bi-fold doors and Crittall windows are desirable. The first I understand, but Crittall frames are made of black steel and look industrial and unwelcoming.  Few modern houses have anything more than a handkerchief-sized garden.

The cost of land is very high and houses are categorised as freehold or leasehold. A purchaser buying a freehold house owns the house and the land it stands on and can make any changes desired, subject to planning and building regulations. A leaseholder owns the right to live in a property for a fixed period but does not own the land. The freeholder, who owns the land, has a contract with the leaseholder specifying the length of the lease and the responsibilities of the leaseholder. These include paying ground rent and service charges to the freeholder. Before any alterations can be made to a leasehold house, permission must be obtained from the freeholder. Leasehold is common for flats, though leaseholders can apply to buy the lease. This only works if at least half of the leaseholders in a building opt to buy the lease.

New houses in this area are being sold with 999-year leases, quite a common period. The problem comes when a property nearing the end of its lease is put up for sale. People don’t want the uncertainty of buying a house with only 15 years or so left on the lease.

House building is big business in our area. Acres of woodland have been surrendered to housing, with the promise of bright, modern homes close to countryside and with excellent local facilities. The builders pledge to provide schools, medical, shopping and leisure amenities. The houses go up, in phases, and the other provisions lag behind, sometimes for years. More people move into the area, but find that schools, doctors’ and dentists’ surgeries are oversubscribed. The new houses seem to be put up for resale within a couple of years.

The problem is far worse for those who have to rent accommodation. Rentals are in short supply and are very expensive the closer they are to London or, in other areas, large cities. Now, many landlords are trying to sell their properties because of rising mortgage rates.

Housing in the UK is in a mess!