How do we fix the housing crisis? Welcome to The i Paper’s opinion series, in which our writers share their experiences of the UK’s dysfunctional housing system and examine how we can fix it.
The scandal of England’s one million empty homesThe UK’s new rental scandal that no one is talking aboutHow the van-life generation made homelessness into an aestheticThe ‘spinster’ housing crisis can no longer be ignoredThere’s nothing attractive about being a landlord anymore
James* never expected to be able to buy a flat. His is a common story: he’s in his late thirties, works in the charity sector, and moved to the capital in 2008. He has been in houseshares ever since, moving around the more central neighbourhoods of south London.
He tried to save up for a deposit but could never quite get there, as his rent of £1,150 per calendar month ate up too much of his £50,000 salary, and he knew he was going to try and buy alone. A one-bedroom flat in the area currently costs around £500,000.
James watched friend after friend move elsewhere in order to buy, but he didn’t want to follow them. “I love London”, he said. “I’d always wanted to live there. My job’s here, my life’s here, my friends are here.” In the end, he had made his peace with the idea of renting for the foreseeable future, perhaps even forever. Then his mum died in January.
