House or home?
Registered Social Landlords (formerly known as Housing Associations) are at the centre of the Government’s recovery programme for house building. This is recognised as an important sector for addressing our declining economy.
So it comes as a bit of a surprise that they are unlikely to be able to deliver the expected increase in housing provision, even by buying up swathes of unsold private homes that exist across the country.
The reason being quoted is the reputed poor quality of finish and, even more so, the dawning awareness that there are few quality standards set for the private sector that meet the requirements necessary when it comes to paying for things from the public purse.
It’s hard to understand this when, even with the market having declined over the last few years, the average cost of a detached home is still nearly £350,000. For that kind of money you’d expect new build properties to be constructed to the highest standards.
However, the NHBC, the organisation which exists to protect homeowners and raise the standards of newly built properties, paid out £46.4 million in claims during 2007/8, and 70pc of their dispute resolution cases were found at least partly in favour of the homeowner.
Buyers with higher earning power might assume that their purchased accommodation is of a far higher standard than for those eligible for social housing. It seems it’s more often a case of high spec finishes, glossy fitted kitchens, free carpets and financial incentives offered by the house builders that are clouding the issue.
Housing Associations complain about falling private sector standards, but it should be remembered that they have been instrumental in leading the charge towards the reduction in space standards, which has probably been to the detriment of families requiring extra cupboard space in bedrooms, circulation areas and outside the dwelling.
Since the 1960’s, they have attacked the Parker Morris guidelines that covered room sizes and, more particularly, storage space within a dwelling, due to the constraints it posed for the number of dwellings per acre.
Factors like inbuilt storage space and plot size are a real challenge in these uncertain economic times, when it can be argued that it’s more important than ever for us to have the security of a “home” and not just accommodation.