This section is based on our report for the LGA “Understanding Local Housing Markets” and reflects our work investigating the idea of multiple housing crises in recent years.
2019 Report & Local Authority Resources
There is growing public and political recognition that there is a crisis in housing but there has been little consensus around what constitutes the current housing crisis and how to solve it. The national housing debate can be over-simplified and regularly fails to recognise that housing is a complex and interconnected system within the economy and society.
There is no simple single housing market. Instead there are multiple markets defined by location, property type, tenure, and price. The housing need and demand within these markets is perhaps even more varied, driven by demographics, income, wealth, health, employment, migration, education, family and personal relationships, consumer confidence, and an array of preferences.
Given this complexity, it is clear there is no simple single housing crisis. There are multiple overlapping issues that affect different parts of the country and different types of people in different ways and to varying degrees. There may be factors that influence all housing markets across the UK, indeed across much of the globe. There will, however, be others that impact more locally and within specific housing sectors. It appears there are several different and sometimes overlapping issues that mean housing is unaffordable, unavailable, and unsuitable for everyone that needs it.
Explore the different issues facing housing here: