‘Generation rent’ and the ability to ‘settle down’: economic and geographical variation in young people’s housing transitions

Abstract

'Generation rent' and the ability to 'settle down': economic and geographical variation in young people's housing transitions. Journal of Youth Studies, 20(1), pp. 63-78.There may be differences between this version and the published version. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite from it.http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/147165/ AbstractThe term 'Generation Rent' denotes young people who are increasingly living in the private rented sector for longer periods of their lives because they are unable to access homeownership or social housing. Drawing on qualitative data from two studies with young people and keyactors, this paper considers the phenomenon of 'Generation Rent' from the perspective of youth transitions and the concept of 'home'. These frameworks posit that young people leaving the parental home traverse housing and labour markets until they reach a point of 'settling down'. However, our data indicate that many young people face difficulties in this 'settling' process as they have to contend with insecure housing, unstable employment and welfare cuts which often force them to be flexible and mobile. This leaves many feeling frustrated as they struggle to remain fixed in place in order to 'settle down' and benefit from the positive qualities of home. Taking a Scottish focus, this paper further highlights the geographical dimension to these challenges and argues that those living in expensive and/or rural areas may find it particularly difficult to settle down.

Equity Inequity: Housing Wealth Inequality, Inter and Intra-generational Divergences, and the Rise of Private Landlordism

“…It is clear that geographic heterogeneity such as in house price development, capital flows (Aalbers 2016), policy approaches, and other housing and labour market conditions can structure crucial variations in housing transitions and outcomes across regions (see Hochstenbach and Boterman 2015;Hoolachan et al 2016;McKee, Muir, and Moore 2016). However, taking a macro-level approach at this stage is in itself precisely useful in analysing how spatial variations across regions may result in key macro-level inequalities in housing equity dynamics.…”

Hysteresis: Understanding the Housing Aspirations Gap

“…The growth of the PRS over the last 15 years in the UK means it is now home to a diversity of households types: no longer simply the mobile young professionals and students it has traditionally been associated with (see, Hoolachan et al 2016). More research is however needed to understand the diversity of these experiences and how renting privately impacts on people's identity and well-being.…”

“…The next interviewee showed an acute awareness of the current economic difficulties facing young people in both an employment and a housing capacity (see also, Hoolachan et al 2016). There were a number of interviewees who described how they have helped their children financially.…”

The convergence, divergence and changing geography of regulation in the UK's private rented sector

“…There are particular regional differences within UK jurisdictions, but evidence suggests a growing link between housing costs in the PRS and poverty (Tunstall et al, 2013), particularly in the context of welfare reform that means many PRS tenants in receipt of housing assistance payments are unable to meet the full cost of their rent (Kemp, Cole, Beatty, & Foden, 2014). In addition, high rents in some parts of the country risk exacerbating exclusion from owner occupation for those already struggling to raise deposits and secure mortgages, particularly given that owner occupation is increasingly stratified by levels of intergenerational support (Hoolachan et al, 2017).…”

“…For some households, constrained access to owner occupation due to affordability issues has led to the phenomenon of 'generation rent', whereby young adults have a deepening reliance on the PRS for longer periods of the time (Clapham et al, 2014;Hoolachan, McKee, Moore, & Soaita, 2017). Demand has also grown amongst households with dependent children (Coulter, 2016;DCLG, 2016a; Department for Social Development, 2015), and amongst more vulnerable households in England and Wales as a result of alterations to homelessness duties of local authorities that rely on the PRS for housing homeless people.…”