Build better houses to match previous generations

Our verdict

The government has made it a priority to sort out what it calls “our broken housing market“. A big problem that has been highlighted is the quality of the houses being built. Compared to previous generations of houses, the quality of newly-built British homes are just not up to the expected standards. For example, a recent survey conducted for Shelter, a housing and homelessness charity, found that over half of new-build homes carry “major faults”.

To rectify this, the government put together a series of initiatives in April 2018 to champion “well-designed homes”. Specifically, it has dedicated £1 billion to the Home Building Fund to develop new, modern approaches to design and construction. Additionally, the government has pledged to learn from other countries that boast high quality housing standards such as Norway, Sweden and Australia. Finally, it has pledged to embrace new technologies to support the quality of the design of new-build homes. With all of these measures on the go, this policy can be deemed ‘in progress’.

Hold on, there’s more!

• More than half of new-build homes in England ‘have major faults’ – The Guardian
• Government champions innovation in bid to build well-designed homes – Gov.uk
• Kevin McCloud says the quality of new homes in the UK is “unforgivable” – The New Statesman
• Why are Britain’s new homes built so badly? – The Guardian
• What we do – Shelter
• An Introduction to the Home Building Fund – Gov.uk