The number of homeless women has risen by nearly 80 per cent in five years, according to a report by the Conservative Party. The report has found that long-term use of bed and breakfast hostels for women and children more than trebled in the past five years; there has been a rise of 77 per cent of women on council waiting lists; while single mothers comprise the majority of adults in temporary accommodation – up by more than 50 per cent in the same period.
Meanwhile a report out from the Family and Parenting Institute highlights the emotional turmoil living in cramped housing conditions can cause. As many as 74 per cent of parents living in overcrowded homes share their bedroom with their children and the increased stress levels, poor health and feelings of hopelessness are leading to family arguments, sleep deprivation and children doing poorly at school. The institute is concerned the rise in repossessions will make the situation worse.
Northern Rock is to reveal that approximately one in five of its mortgage customers will face negative equity next year. About 5 per cent are thought to be in negative equity already, with a further 15 per cent with less than 10 per cent equity in their homes also at risk. In total, about 140,000 homes could be threatened, many of them in the North East, a traditional Labour heartland.
The Law Society has told the BBC that some estate agents are breaking the law by marketing properties without ordering a home information pack. Estate agents say that sellers are reluctant to pay up to £300 for the pack when the housing market is slowing, and they often delay drawing them up until a sale has been agreed. A representative of estate agents confirmed the practice was taking place, but said that the packs were ‘useless’ to both buyers and sellers and were only used as a legal formality once a sale was agreed.
One of the most pessimistic outlooks among analysts has come from property price futures predicting house prices will fall by almost 30 per cent during the next three years. About £50,000 will be wiped off the value of the average house price by 2011, the assessement says.
A new report aimed at educating housing associations about pitches for Gypsies and Travellers has been released by the Housing Corporation. The report outlines how registered social landlords can ‘make a business case for providing and managing pitches for Gypsies and Travellers’ and provides examples of how associations have gone about it.
In Scotland, housing associations will get financial help from the government to buy private homes on the open market as a way of tackling homelessness and boosting the building industry. First minister Alex Salmond has agreed to create a fund to enable housing associations to buy unsold homes at a discounted price, as long as the acquisitions meet the needs of public housing policy, are affordable and offer good value for public funds.
And finally, Plymouth is named the UK’s most ‘cost-effective’ place for students to live. On average students in Plymouth will spend £3,000 less than students in the most expensive city, Exeter. Overall, students contribute more than £10 billion in housing and living costs during the academic year, with nearly £4 billion spent on rent.