Description
GUARDIAN’S TOP BOOK ON THE UK HOUSING CRISISÂ
‘The housing crisis is just getting started,’ warns Timperley in this important book.’ – Martin Chilton, The Independent
‘There’s something rotten at the heart of Britain’s housing sector, which is blighting the dreams of millions of young people. Generation Rent dissects this morbid condition, with rigour and passion – and shows us a way to treat it.’ – Oliver Bullough, Moneyland
‘An essential read about a broken housing market.’ – Peter Apps, Inside Housing
For millions of Britons renting a home privately is the only option. More people are now expected to rent rather than own their own homes. Even members of Generation Rent with good jobs and skills have been priced out of the property market.
In this razor-sharp account of how a nation of homeowners gave way to a generation of insecure renters haemorrhaging cash, Chloe Timperley tackles the myths and mysteries belying so many attempts to ‘fix’ Britain’s broken housing market.
She reveals:
- who’s being shafted
- who’s cashing in
- and the radical steps we must take to give everyone a good home
Generation Rent is the essential guide to the UK’s ruinously expensive property market.
First, Chloe Timperley charts the rise and fall of council housing. From the early 20th Century onwards, high-quality public sector homes provided plentiful affordable homes that mixed social groups well. Then Margaret Thatcher’s Right to Buy sold off local authority housing and the number of council homes for rent crashed. Some council estates became known as ‘sink estates’, killing the municipal dream of post-war planners.
As a result, more renters in Britain have come to rely on the private rental sector, often living in filthy and expensive properties – with the ever-present risk of eviction. For those who can afford to buy, ‘entering the kingdom of home ownership’ will probably leave them with small properties and huge mortgages.
In Generation Rent, Chloe Timperley tackles the surprising truth about many aspects of the housing crisis, including land agents, housebuilders’ profits, and the leasehold trap.
We hear from tenants on the end of harassment from landlords and landladies and who struggle to afford booming rents.
And we get to know those who are about to be evicted and the causes and extent of homelessness.
We also hear about housing from the other side – from the small investors who have retreated into renting property after pension scandals, when the author goes undercover.Â
Generation Rent is for anyone who wants to understand the reality of private renting and the reality of home buying. It’s for anyone who wants to know why they can’t afford to get on the ‘housing ladder’ and why rent eats up half their wages.
The author ends by suggesting a radical way out of the mess, rooted in the work of economist Henry George.
Reviews
‘Chloe Timperley lands punch after punch on a rental system that is dysfunctional, demeaning and downright unfair’ – Eoin Brown TD, Irish Times
‘Black mould, botched repairs, rent hikes, revenge evictions, stolen deposits – the stories recounted in bleak detail in this lively book will be sadly familiar to many people who have rented in the UK. Chloe Timperley, herself a young renter with a background in finance, is an insightful guide to how we got here, charting the impact of the right to buy, the iniquitous role of land agents, the scandal of ground rents and the ongoing leasehold trap – all of which have led to a situation where, on average, renters are spending close to 40% of their incomes on lining their landlords’ pockets.an insightful guide to ‘ – Oliver Wainwright, The Guardian
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