Maintaining home ownership: The evolution of home improvement agencies in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Home ownership is the dominant tenure in the United Kingdom. While government policies see home ownership primarily as a solution to housing problems, there is an increasing awareness that many households experience significant difficulties in meeting their housing costs in this tenure. To date the main emphasis has been on the problems of mortgage arrears and house repossessions associated with house purchase costs, but in the long term the costs of repair, improvement and maintenance of the housing stock may be equally significant. This article traces the evolution of home improvement agencies from their origins in the 1970s to their recognition by government as a mainstream element of housing policy in 1991. Government support for the work of home improvement agencies represents a significant step because it accepts that for some groups, it is problematic to remain living in a home that they own themselves.