The HomeOwner Survey 2019 - Concerns, trends and how we feel about our homes

Our Homeowner Survey 2019, now in its seventh year and polled by YouGov, gives a state of the nation report on the biggest concerns and latest trends affecting UK homeowners and those keen to own. The number one UK housing issue remains the difficulty of getting on the property ladder in the first place. Consistently the top housing concern, 87% of UK adults and 91% of aspiring first-time buyers say the ability to get on the housing ladder is a serious problem. Most renters want to own but think it is a pipe dream, so what hope and options are there for ‘Generation Rent’? Almost 8 in 10 renters (77%) want to own their home but 6 in 10 (59%) renters wanting to own do not think they ever will. Rental problems are common with 78% of renters saying they have encountered difficulties. We look at whether Build to Rent can improve the rental experience and whether Shared Ownership or Help to Buy are helping Generation Rent. The fastest rising housing issue in 2019 is the quality of Britons’ homes. Up 6% from 2018, almost two thirds (63%) cite housing quality as a serious problem. With new build quality in the spotlight, we find overwhelming support for a snagging retention fee. With snagging the least satisfactory step in the new build buying process, 9 in 10 (87%) new build owners support a system to withhold funds from house builders until they rectify faults. Concern with the leasehold/ freehold system reaches a 5 year high. 60% of Britons now say the leasehold system is a serious problem, up 18% from 42% five years ago. Cost of works and management fees top the list of leaseholder problems.