Reminder alert! Have your say in the SO HAPPI Inquiry
The APPG Housing and Care for Older People is inviting evidence to aid their current Inquiry, ‘Making retirement living affordable: The role of shared ownership housing’.
The Inquiry members are keen to hear a range of views. In particular, they welcome thoughts on:
- How the market for shared ownership for older households can be best scaled-up, and what the priorities for the future should be?
- The extent to which the level of public understanding is a barrier - do potential purchases understand the older person’s shared ownership offer?
- Are the Government’s new Older People’s Shared Ownership scheme (and Home Ownership for People with Long Term Disabilities scheme) working?
- Are the regulations covering services and leasehold arrangements fair and fit for purpose?
- Is the opportunity to ‘staircase up’ and acquire a larger share inhibiting investment into the sector?
- Can more shared ownership developments enable shared owners to ‘staircase down’?
- Are resale issues a major disincentive to older people acquiring a shared ownership property, and if so, how can the issues be overcome?
- What are the opportunities for new markets, for example, for those in LGBTQ+ and ethnic minority communities?
- What are the barriers to developing new shared ownership schemes for older people, such as planning and design?
- Is the grant funding under current housing and health programmes sufficient or needs to change?
- What is the potential for attracting additional private finance? Is there a case for new incentives to invest?
The findings of the Inquiry – based on both oral and written evidence – will be sent to ministers, parliamentarians, civil servants, local government, housing providers and other stakeholders later this year. It will also be presented to the government’s newly established cross-departmental task force on housing for older people.
Please email your comments and suggestions by 4 May 2022 to paul.hackett@smith-institute.org.uk (opens new window)