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Letting signs in London
Photograph: Paul Maguire / Shutterstock.com

England is officially the worst place in the world for finding a home

The country’s sky-high rental costs and dire property conditions are among the worst in the developed world

Charmaine Wong
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Charmaine Wong
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England is a seriously enviable place to live – after all, people all over the world dream of coming and living here. But its housing market is in a pretty shambolic state and that’s been confirmed by new expert data, which claims that England is ‘the most difficult place to find a home in the developed world’. 

That statement comes from a recent report by industry group House Builders Federation (HBF), which says that a quarter of private renters in Britain spend more than 40 percent of their disposable income on housing costs. That’s starkly different to our EU neighbours like France (nine percent) and Germany (five percent).

But it’s not just about the money (or lack thereof). The report also talks about dire living conditions. HBF found that 18 percent of people in England live in subpar properties with either a leaking roof, damp walls and mouldy floors, or rot in window frames. 

Stewart Baseley, the executive chair of the HBF said the figures are ‘a wake-up call, demonstrating the urgent need to act now to prevent us falling even further behind’.

Interested in finding out more? You can read the full HBF report for yourself here

ICYMI: why is finding a house share such a nightmare right now?

Plus: the best (and worst) motorway service stations in the UK.

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