Homeownership affordability in England

This study concerns access to and affordability of housing to buy and rent in England in 1990. It seeks to answer the following questions: How many new households can buy a suitable home, new or secondhand, or could afford a low‐cost sale or shared ownership arrangement, and how many have little option but to rent? The study tries to quantify the answers to these questions for England as a whole, for regions, and for each local authority area. Developments in the British housing market and in housing policies are briefly described, highlighting the growing importance of the issue of affordability. The methodology of the study is described, in particular the method of estimating income distributions for subnational areas. The model can also be used to simulate the impact of different assumptions and scenarios on access and affordability. The principal findings include a worsening general problem of affordability and great inequalities in access to homeownership between areas and household types.