The majority of people renting in the UK say they will never be able to afford a home - although they would like to buy their own place, while almost 4 in 10 of those renting are stuck in cold, damp properties with landlords unwilling to do basic repairs and maintenance. The findings were highlighted in a new YouGov survey on behalf of the HomeOwners Alliance and BLP Insurance.
More than three quarters (77%) of the 4.5m households renting their homes in the UK would like to own their own home, which equates to almost 3.5m aspiring property owners. However, 2.7m of them (59%) think they will never be able to.
The survey of more than 2,000 UK adults found those renting also face problems including:
- living in poor quality properties (35%);
- having a limited choice of rental properties (32%);
- concern that their property does not meet safety/fire standards (20%).
The research was conducted ahead of the ban on letting agent fees and found that almost half of renters (48%) supported and end to upfront charges e.g. for inventories and reference checks. Meanwhile, more than a third said they would like:
- to be able to rent from a responsible housing provider (40%);
- to see high quality safety and energy efficiency standards in their homes (38%);
- the option of a longer tenancy (35%).
Paula Higgins, chief executive at the HomeOwners Alliance, said: “We have a crisis on our hands. A majority living in rented accommodation desperately want to buy a home of their own - yet most think this is a pipe dream. This shouldn’t be the case in the fifth strongest economy in the world.
