Government not doing enough to combat housing crisis
13/08/2015
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has claimed that the UK government is still not doing enough to fix the current housing crisis.
A survey conducted by Rics has shown that the number of homes for sale in the UK has hit a record low. Demand has risen to its highest rate for 18 months, and is outstripping supply, which in turn will lead to a substantial increase in house prices. The average number of properties for sale per surveyor sank to 47 in July, the lowest figure on record.
Rics believe the government is still failing to address this as a problem. They believe the government is addressing and stimulating demand with its saving incentives, but ignoring the supply problem.
In July, the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) also urged politicians to push on with house building as supply increased.
The government has claimed that more homes are being built, especially on brownfield sites. They have also extended the right to buy scheme to those in housing association properties, and launched the Starter Homes Initiative, which will allow young first-time buyers to purchase properties at a minimum discount of 20%.
Communities Secretary, Greg Clarke, said:
"We are also helping bring back into use more brownfield land for development, keeping the country building, and delivering the homes our communities need."
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