The latest English housing survey shows that the number of people owning their own home has stopped reducing for the first time since 2003 with 14 million owner occupiers across the country last year.
The report also shows:
- that 80% of households that applied were given a mortgage
- an increase in satisfaction for private renters over the last 10 years
- a large decline in the number of private renters living in non-decent homes.
These figures come a week after other data showed that lending for first-time buyers is higher than that for home movers for the first time in 20 years, with first-time buyers’ mortgages up 33%.
Housing Minister Gavin Barwell said: "We are determined to ensure that anyone who works hard and aspires to own their own home has the opportunity to do so.
"Since 2010 over 300,000 households have been helped into home ownership through government-backed schemes.
"The ground-breaking Housing and Planning Act will allow us to go even further delivering our ambition to build an additional 1 million homes."
The survey shows that the reinvigorated and extended flagship Right to Buy scheme has boosted the aspiration of social housing tenants, with those expecting to buy their current home continuing to rise from 20% in 2012 to 24% in 2014 to 2015.
It also shows that since 2010 to 2011 the majority of households whose mortgage applications were approved increased to 80% in 2014 to 2015, compared to 64% in 2010 to 2011.
But Alistair Smyth, Head of Policy at the National Housing Federation said: "This is a critical time for housebuilding. Building more affordable homes of all tenures is vital to solving the housing crisis and ensuring everyone can access a home at a price they can afford in a place they want to live.
"That’s why housing associations this week offered to build 300,000 new homes over the course of this Parliament, and called on the Government to give us flexibility to build the right homes where they’re needed. This will help us continue to build through this uncertain time, and enable us to build nearly one-third of the Government’s one million home ambition in this parliament."
The survey also showed an increase in satisfaction with the tenure for private renters over the last 10 years, rising from 48% in 2004 to 2005 to 65% in 2014 to 2015. And 82% were satisfied with their privately rented accommodation.
There has also been a large decline in the proportion of private tenants living in non-decent homes, decreasing from 47% in 2006 to 28% in 2014.
In the government’s landmark Housing and Planning Act an ambitious package of measures will be implemented to ensure England’s 9 million private tenants receive the quality housing and protections they deserve.
Measures include:
- a national database of rogue landlords and property agents who have been convicted of serious offences
- banning orders for the most prolific and serious offenders;
- introduction of civil penalty notices of up to £30,000 for certain breaches of housing legislation
- extending Rent Repayment Orders to cover situations where a tenant has been illegally evicted, breached a banning order, and allowing local authorities to retain that money for housing purposes where the rent was paid through Housing Benefit or Universal Credit
- applying a more stringent ‘fit and proper’ person test for landlords letting out licensed properties, such as Houses in Multiple Occupation.
