Although demand for housing continues to rise with no slow-down in sight, a shortage of housing in the UK is an issue which will not be going anywhere soon.  The problem will surely worsen as baby boomers, those born between the years 2001 and 2011, come of age to go out and afford their own property.  According to the ONS or Office for National Statistics, there are also more than 1 million households with no residents in them as of 2011.  This does not just add to the housing issue, but makes it unbearable to think about the picture of housing in ten years.

The number of houses with no residents has risen almost 200,000 in a span of ten years.  The math does not compute if the number of homeless is contrasted with those houses not occupying any people.  Something must be done in this area alone to prevent a much larger problem from taking over in the years ahead.

House building must go through a shock to the arm in order to keep up with the number of first time home buyers which will undoubtedly flood the market within the next ten years.  A little more than 1.5 million homes were built during the decade following 2001, whilst almost 7 million children were born.  The prices of homes will have to be dealt with as well as estimates indicate the cost of a home will rise more than 40% by the year 2020.

Dan Wilson Craw with Generation Rent Campaign commented on the issues surrounding the UK housing system, saying: "Today's statistics confirm that our broken housing market is creating deep divisions in society – wealthy property owners can afford to leave houses to stand empty, while more people who can't buy are forced to squeeze into overcrowded private renting,"

Wilson Craw added: "The government has no hope of reversing this trend with a scheme like Help to Buy – the nation's renters need better rights in the rental market if they want to live somewhere they can genuinely call home."