Home Ownership in Transition

Images of home ownership in Britain today are often cosy in character and to a large extent, lack any critical awareness. This has encouraged even the most sophisticated commentators to focus upon the virtues of the tenure while neglecting both its weaknesses and most importantly, the ways in which it is changing. No longer a domain occupied exclusively by affluent middle-class families in semi-detached houses, the tenure is now characterized by enormous variety - of household types, income levels, property types, conditions, prices and most particularly, prospects. There is no one situation or trajectory for home owners or for home ownership and the purpose of this book is to examine the complex patterns within home ownership and the ways in which these are changing. In stressing this, the authors would emphasize that this is a book about Britain. There are parallels with other countries but, just as home ownership is not the same everywhere in the UK, it is certainly not the same as in other countries. Finally, it should be clear that this is not a book concerned only with the failures or the successes of home ownership. The authors have sought to provide a commentary and analysis that recognizes both successes and failures and the ways both of these contribute to its transformation.