Affordable housing guide - introduction

What is affordable housing?  |Right to Buy  |Right to Acquire  | Social HomeBuy  
Open Market HomeBuy  | New BuildHomeBuy  |First-time Buyers Initiative
Homestake (Scotland) |Co-Ownership Housing  |Key Worker Living

Introduction

If you cannot afford to buy a house on the open market, there are two routes you can take:

· Affordable housing via a Local Authority or Housing Association
· Co-buying with friends, family or associates

The ability to afford a home is becoming increasingly difficult for many people as property prices escalate. This has resulted in fewer buyers managing to get on the property ladder, and even serious overcrowding and homelessness - especially in London and the South East.

The housing crisis is so severe that the British government has pledged to help local authorities provide more affordable housing, and says 50% of all new-build homes should be ‘affordable’.

However, there is some debate about what defines affordable housing and how these targets can be achieved. The British Property Federation, for example, has criticised the new housing policy for excluding people who are ineligible for social housing.

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