Overall, 41% of all participants agreed with the statement “I cannot afford to live in the area I want or need to live in.” This was taking into account both renting and buying. When looking at the reasons for wanting or needing to live in a different location, the most popular answers were:
To be closer to my workplace/better career opportunities – 37%
To be closer to family and/or friends – 35%
To better suit my lifestyle (e.g. more bars/restaurants, countryside walks, etc.) – 29%
To live somewhere more upmarket – 21%
To live somewhere safer – 14%
To be in the catchment area for better schools – 10%
To be closer to my significant other – 9%
73% of the respondents taking part admitted that they were ‘greatly concerned’ about the property market currently and 38% were of the mindset that they would ‘never’ be able to afford to get on the property ladder and own their own home.
Bernard Darko, CEO & founder of www.kindroom.co.uk, commented: “We didn’t expect quite so many people to say that they were unhappy with the area they were living in. What was most surprising of all was that one of the top reasons people had the desire to live in an area that they couldn’t currently afford to was not down to just wanting to be somewhere a bit fancier and more upmarket, but actually more of a ‘need’ than a ‘want’ in terms of being closer to their place of work or better career opportunities.
“The rental market is getting out of hand. With the cost-of-living crisis adding to those pressures and rising costs, it’s no wonder people are losing hope and feeling like they will never reside where they want or need to. We have created a marketplace where people can exchange tangible skills and services for a roof over their heads; a bit of babysitting here and there, help to tutor a host or their family in a language or academic subject, or even chipping in with a home refurb if skills allow it. Clearly, the model or currency for shelter is failing renters so we need to flip this whole thing on its head so people can live where they want without financial restrictions.”
