Home Sweet Home: 5 Innovative Ways to Combat the Housing Crisis

There is no hiding that many people dream about owning a home one day. Buying a place in which to settle down and make precious memories is arguably a significant milestone in one’s life. Alternatively, you may already have your own house but would like to upgrade your abode as you start a family. Whatever your plans are, you may have noticed that securing a property has become rather challenging.

Indeed, with the ongoing housing crisis, potential homebuyers are struggling to find somewhere to live. There are too few houses under construction to meet demand and there is a lack of affordable housing available across the country. As such, buyers are left with very few options.

Conscious of the shortage of family homes in every city, developers are seeking innovative methods to tackle Britain’s housing crisis. With that in mind, this article lists five different approaches that could help remedy the current housing situation.

Compact homes

The housing crisis is a big issue, but it could have a ‘small’ solution. In fact, developers are proposing an increasing number of compact flats to suit would-be homeowners.

Cheaper than most properties on the market, these factory-built apartments are designed for compact living. They generally feature an open plan kitchen-living room, alongside a separate bathroom and bedroom. These homes have everything a traditional house requires, but with all the rooms slotted into a neat, contained space.

Not only that, but they tend to be of better quality as they are constructed in factory-controlled conditions. What is more, they are built completely finished and ‘ready to go’. This way, you will not cause a nuisance to your neighbours with expensive refurbishing work.

Commuter villages

Modular commuter villages are an excellent way to combat and mitigate the housing crisis inside Britain’s big cities. Indeed, they allow homebuyers to remain close to the city centre, while paying a lower price tag and staying away from the metropolis’ hustle and bustle.

In this regard, developers plan to build a number of connected eco-friendly villages. These sites favour energy-sharing to benefit both the lodgers and the environment. Keep on the lookout for homes for sale in Lanarkshire or on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Peripheral commuter villages offer a sustainable, affordable, and strategically-positioned option for all different budgets.

Promote and improve renting

We are often fobbed off with the idea that renting equates to spending cash fruitlessly. It can feel as though you are constantly putting money into a home that is not your own. However, with a substantial shortage of available properties, renting may in truth represent a great solution for the current crisis.

In fact, you will always have a roof over your head with the added flexibility of not having to stick with the same house for several years. When the opportunity arises for you to buy the home of your dreams, you will be able to do so without too much hassle.

Furthermore, it also means that you are not even constrained to a single city. If your career suddenly takes you elsewhere, or if you just fancy a change of scenery, you are free to leave your existing nest and fly to the next one.

To promote the benefits of renting, there are plans to provide more security for renters. Renting regulations will be improved to ensure that landlords cannot kick tenants out or push the rent up out of the blue. This will make renting a more appealing option for home searchers.

Affordable retirement housing

Providing pensioners with quality yet affordable accommodation could represent an unexpected solution for combatting the housing crisis.

In fact, with the development of reasonably priced senior housing, there is the possibility to free up a large number of local family homes. This could encourage over-70s to move into a house that better suits their lifestyle. Meanwhile, their under-occupied homes could become the perfect fit for younger families, which typically require more living space.

Up in the sky or on water

By taking advantage of rooftops, there is scope to build upwards rather than outwards. It is fair to say that this could provide potential homebuyers with thousands of new properties. In big cities especially, it is a solution that can also keep the issue of continuous overcrowding at bay.

Planners are also contemplating building neighbourhoods on old docks and stretches of water. By constructing a walkway that connects one house to the other, people will be able to live in a floating village. These alternative locations may aid in effectively tackling the current housing crisis.

With a national shortage of affordable or available properties, prospective homeowners are having a hard time finding suitable accommodation. As the UK struggles, planners are coming up with new ideas that intend to restrain the unprecedented housing crisis. What do you think – can the proposals listed in this article help alleviate the problem?