London and UK needs 50,000 more rental properties

London and the UK need a combined total of around 50,000 properties to be made available each year in order to meet the demand for rented housing, it has been claimed.

The Department fro Communities and Local Government has issued a report making clear that the number of houses to rent in London and other areas of the country need to be increased considerably in years to come.

A significant reason for the lack of affordable rented housing available is that too few are houses suitable for families, which in many cases can lead to overcrowding, the government's latest assessment suggests.

"New social rented housing must be built to encourage mixed communities," said the chair of the report Dr Phyllis Starkey.

"We also want to see much more flexibility in the allocation schemes so that tenants making a genuine attempt to seek work can move more easily."

Meanwhile, the government recently announced the launch of an investigation into how the credit crunch has impacted the prospects for regeneration projects going in London and other parts of the UK.

News posted on 30th May, 2008