It’s that time of the year again. The Party Conference season. The time when all Government Housing Ministers and shadow housing ministers try to explain why they haven’t built much housing lately and how they now have the answer to their prayers and the prayers of their many older voters. BUNGALOWS!
It’s an old chestnut that I have written about many times.
(You can find my earlier posts by clicking on Retirement Housing in the Topics List and scrolling down to 2017 and 2016 and 2013)
It’s a dream, a mirage in the housing desert. Politicians perpetuate the illusion because it seems to solve so many of their other problems. Older people who move out of under occupied houses release equity to pay for their future care. Large family houses are freed up for growing families. The whole housing market starts to move forward.
Estate agents couldn’t be more delighted, which is why they keep writing reports on the virtues of bungalows. The latest report is from the Home Owners Alliance, who commissioned a survey of 2,000 people across the UK in April. They found that “one in seven home owners aged over 55 said they wanted to move….and 38% would prefer a bungalow” A spokesman for McCarthy and Stone said there was a “Critical shortage of bungalows”, which is rather surprising because I don’t think they are rushing to build many.
This is all just amateur analysis of the issue, repeated by lazy housing journalists who should know better. The harsh reality is that the high cost of purchasing land and the strong opposition to building on green belt makes it impossible to build bungalows at affordable prices. Only 1% of new homes built last year were bungalows.
The other question that needs asking is are bungalows the best option in later life ? When you step outside your bungalows front door it can be cold and wet in the winter and they are not always located close to amenities.
I am all in favour of downsizing to release the equity accumulated in your family home, but only if it offers a better lifestyle and a range of support, if or when you need it in future.
There was at least one good article in The Times by David Byers, which reviewed the issue, but sadly came to the wrong conclusion. He points to a key to solving the problem, which is that “ the over 60’s own £2.95 trillion of property”. The blockages to unlocking that money are an over-priced equity release market and the scarcity of good quality inexpensive retirement housing.
In all these reports and articles they have the right keys, but, they are unlocking the wrong doors!
More in my next post.
GrumbleSmiles 
Dear John this is an intriguing subject, and you have touched previously on the problems of housing? As you one may say a bungalow is a desire and a dream for the elderly within the UK!
However it is as you say not a reflection on real life! My personal vision and dreams were are based upon my past life as a young married man growing up in the 1960’70/80’s .
I was born in Liverpool, and then spent my first years in Wensleydale [War time 1943’4’5], with My mother [whom was a Londoner] as Dad training In the army on the tank rangers in Cumberland. We then as a family moved with my father to married quarters in Hamburg 20 as dad served his time out with the Control Commission in Germany 1945 until 1950, we then returned back to the uk and stayed temporarily, in London and Liverpool with respective grandparents while dad became successful in obtaining a job as a commercial traveller selling bitumen for a London registered Bitumen Dealer. Dad commercial area was Northumberland/Durham/Yorkshire/Lincolnshire. Nottinghamshire, Dad stayed with the company as the traveller for this area until his retirement at 65 years of age, WE resided in the suburbs of Northwest Leeds, were Mum and dad lived in for the rest of their life.
My life was that I was am the eldest boy of a family of 6 children. 2 boys and 4 girls. My 2 brothers died one at child birth one after 15 months.. My father and mother educated me to respect the girls and as they grew into later life, keep a watchful eye on them with kindness. WE all went to the local councils schools and at 13+ I transferred to secondary technical school. I then signed an apprenticeship as a marine engineer with a shipping company [College OND in the North east of England and ship yard training on the TYNE. I then went to sea studied and passed my certificates as a sea going engineer with the appropriate sea time some 5 years, seagoing studies. I then remained in the shipping company and worked for 18 Months in the London OFFICE, I had married and initial lived in Leeds, while at sea and then to Bedfordshire when I worked in the shipping company head office. My skills were knowing the ships I had sailed on as the company developed Inert Gas Plant for anti explosion protection.
Then I took a personal decision the company wished me to go back sailing at sea, as we had children at this time, I sought a post in the UK Fishing Industry in HULL. WE moved our home to HULL, while I learnt about ship reinsurance in the greater UK connected to the UK HULL Fishing industry. The fishing Industry was changing [ICELANDIC WARS] and money was a problem, I resigned/left and became a under fleet superintendent for a shipping company in Glasgow, I moved with my family to Scotland {Glasgow area- family relatives near by] This job was unsuccessful the company wished me at sea undertaking supervision of ship repairs whilst the ship was on charter on voyage[to avoid major engine repairs in their bi annual bi=annual drydock schedules. I resigned after some period of time I applied and was accepted as a JUNIOR GOVERNMENT SHIP INSPECTOR training in Newcastle. I attended college for technical qualifications and then after 2 Years I was assessed. I had not the educational qualification completely but the government Offered me a post I LONDON on my pay as was with London weighting which My wife and I accepted. WE moved to the Bedfordshire/Buckingham area, and still reside in the area With our children’s families near by.
With all this moving to different areas in the UK, and initially our parents in the LEEDS AREA, we had had to watch the monies and our savings and expenses.
I have written quite a lots of various factors that have affected my wife and my livelihood.
Now as I gently reflect in the current world, I just wonder what are the objects of all the other persons/citizens in the UK? Like us they have to if they are young set out to find a home/base from which to live In my ignorance I believed in ones younger life, work and production and provision of services was the main am of the UK Nation to earn a living, and while we had refugees from war torn parts of the world who had aided The UK in various forms they were vetted for their loyalty to the UK and the Nation that was in turmoil.
Immigration POLICY I understood was by a quota system and, the immigrant and if they had dependents, had to go through a system of assessment where they were financially assessed to live and survive upon the cost of living in the UK. If they presented themselves as a one generation family this was acceptable/ should the question arise of other family members they as individuals had to prove reliability,/independence with no stains on the UK Budget,
Today I just wonder if there is a problem with the immigrate population of recent times, For instance have they while earning a living had time to earn the qualifying period for a full retirement payment from their financial supporters and the standard government retirement schemes. It all bears a thought or two, and is the government of the day today penalising the older UK population, by taxing pensionable income, and property sales taxes, so ND OUTS CAN BE GIVEN TO THE NEW Immigrants arriving by Boat, and not under an assessment process.
AS John says states it is a complicate situation, and we need understanding and fairness from Parliament/THE GOVRNMENT OF TODAY to help provide the services for our aging population
AMEN Is this the end
ND OUTS == no hand outs. correction