Researchers found that owner occupiers rather than social renters may face particular problems in moving away from poor neighbourhood conditions in England.
Source: Ade Kearns and Alison Parkes, Living In and Leaving Poor Neighbourhood Conditions in England, CNR Paper 8, Centre for Neighbourhood Research (0141 330 5408)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | Press release
Date: 2002-Dec
The Halifax Building Society said that house prices rose by an average 30.6 per cent in the year to October 2002, the highest annual rise ever recorded.
Source: The Guardian, 8.11.02
Links: Article
Date: 2002-Nov
A study identified good practice by local authorities and their partners in addressing the issue of run-down private sector housing, and the barriers to developing comprehensive and co-ordinated strategies to address the problem.
Source: Addressing the Needs of Run-Down Private Sector Housing, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (01709 891318)
Links: Report (pdf) | Good practice guide (pdf) | Summary
Date: 2002-Nov
An article investigated some of the aspects linking the labour market and housing tenure. It found a direct link between higher household income and rates of house ownership.
Source: Mari Lind Frogner, 'Housing tenure and the labour market', Labour Market Trends, October 2002, Office for National Statistics, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Article (pdf)
Date: 2002-Oct
The government began consultation on the setting-up, running and ending of commonhold (a new form of ownership introduced under the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002).
Source: Commonhold Proposals for Commonhold Regulations, Lord Chancellor s Department (020 7210 8500)
Links: Consultation Document | Press release
Date: 2002-Oct
Mortgage lenders urged the government to make it simpler and cheaper to provide Shari'ah-compliant, or 'Islamic', mortgages (where a financier buys the property, sells it on to the buyer, and then collects instalment payments rather than charging interest.)
Source: Press release 14.10.02, Council of Mortgage Lenders (020 7437 0075)
Links: Press release
Date: 2002-Oct
A campaign was launched to gain compensation for an estimated five million victims of mis-selling of endowment mortgages.
Source: Press release 26.9.02, Consumers' Association (020 7770 7000)
Links: Press release
Date: 2002-Sep
Researchers found that consumer satisfaction with the low-cost home ownership programme is very high. They recommended that the programme be more clearly focused on regions and localities where there is need and demand.
Source: Glen Bramley, James Morgan, Lin Cousins and Kathleen Dunmore, Evaluation of the Low Cost Home Ownership Programme, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (01709 891318)
Links: Summary (pdf) | Press release
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 31/3, Digest 123, paragraph 4.3
Date: 2002-Sep
The Law Commission published a discussion paper on the rights of people who share homes: it said it had found it impossible to devise a legally enforceable scheme allowing an unmarried partner to acquire an automatic share in a property.
Source: Sharing Homes: A Discussion Paper, Law Commission (020 7453 1220)
Links: Discussion paper (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2002-Jul
Researchers in Scotland found that owner occupation is the preferred tenure for half of all low-income households, partly because social renting has become less attractive due to residualisation and stigmatisation.
Source: Rebekah Widdowfield and Diana Wilkinson, Owner Occupation among Low Income Households in Scotland, Scottish Executive, TSO (0870 606 5566)
Links: Report (pdf) | Report
Date: 2002-Jul
