Housing quality can mean different things to different people, ranging from the physical fabric of the property, its safety and the security of living there, to its costs and its impact on physical and mental health and wellbeing. Too many households are living in overcrowded and substandard dwellings whilst too many adults and children are being forced to live in temporary accommodation due to the lack of decent affordable accommodation.
The Government has been pushing for 300,000 homes a year to be built, which is an eye watering target for the sector and is currently not being met. It is true that we need to deliver homes at pace, but this cannot be at the cost of quality. With the rise of pocket-sized homes and co-living schemes that are below previously set space standards, there is a risk that quantity over quality will produce a sub-standard housing stock for families and individuals of the future.