The young and poor are crowded into expensive, shared flats. Even construction might not ease the problem
and his girlfriend, Martelle, both immigrants from Australia, home is a three-bedroom flat in south London. It is shared with two other people. That is not ideal, says Mr Rouse, who is 32. “When we were in Australia we lived by ourselves,” he says. When sharing, “you’re never quite grounded in your own space.” But ultimately the couple decided they had little choice. Their monthly rent and bills come to about 30% of their joint income. If they rented their own flat, it would be twice that.
Last year the number of people living alone crossed 8m. But the increase has been entirely among those aged over 45. Between 2008 and 2018 their number rose by 810,000, or 14%. The number under that age fell by 340,000, or 18%. Some 746,000 homes were overcrowded last year, meaning that there were not enough bedrooms for each single adult, couple or pair of children to have one to themselves. That was a 14% increase on a decade before.
And they can afford it. Britain’s tax system encourages people to “consume as much housing as they can afford”, says Rose Grayston of Shelter, a charity. Property taxes are lower, proportionately, on bigger houses. Stamp duty, a tax on buying property, can make downsizing expensive. Recently older buyers’ spending power has risen relative to that of younger people. In real terms, earnings have fallen since 2008 across the board, but most of all for the young.
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