Housing Generation Rent: understanding the rural context Dr Kim McKee & Jenny Hoolachan

1. Housing Generation Rent: understanding the rural context Dr Kim McKee & Jenny Hoolachan Rural Housing Scotland conference March 2016

2. Rise of ‘Generation Rent’ well documented in UK academic & policy research (e.g. Alakeson 2011; McKee 2012; Clapham et al 2014; McKee & Hoolachan 2015) • Increasing numbers of YP now living in PRS and for longer • Now taking longer to reach adult milestone of living away from parental home • Have very different housing pathways to their parents/grandparents • Fuels debates about inter-generational conflict (e.g. Willets 2011; Howker and Malik 2013)

3. Yet ‘Generation Rent’ homogenising term that can mask the varied experiences of YP • Way in which navigate housing & labour markets intersected by: • Socioeconomic background • Education levels • Household size • Important to consider how YP’s housing circumstances are intersected by geography • Specificity of rural context often over-looked

4. Ability to access secure & affordable housing is geographically nuanced • Supply of rural affordable housing of longstanding policy concern • Typically more expensive • Local incomes may also be lower • Lower stocks of social housing • ‘Competition from commuters, retirees and second home owners’ disadvantages local people (RHPRG 2015: 3)

5. Studies have shown limited rural housing options can result in: • Homelessness (Cloke et al 2001) • Extended periods of residency in the parental home (Jones 2001) • Out-migration of young adults (Taylor 2008) • General challenges facing ‘Generation Rent’ therefore intensified in rural locations

6. EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING

7. Strong links between housing and employment • Opportunities deemed to be substantially lacking “The job market is more competitive and down here it’s… saturated, is not the right word but there just aren’t big money jobs out there” (Stuart, 29) “A lot of the volume jobs have been lost […] these jobs have gone on a one-way ticket and won’t come back” (Key-actor 1, Scottish Borders Council)

8. Jobs not only more limited, but lack of well-paid, permanent posts that allowed them to ‘settle down’ “Just having that foundation that you, even though you could become redundant or lose your job, just even having a contract where you think there’s some chance that you can stay there and sort of settle a bit, I think that would make a huge difference” (Katie, 26) • Regular income not only provides means of affording to live, enables feelings of certainty and stability; vital for well-being

9. HOUSING CHALLENGES IN RURAL AREAS

10. Studies have shown limited rural housing options; reverberated by our qualitative data • Challenges in trying to buy or rent in their chosen areas, often interlinked with discussion of low wages: “I’ve looked at places around the Borders and there just seems to be nothing round here like in my budget”. (Kayleigh, 19)

11. Difficulties that second/holiday homes can cause for locals noted • Compromised locals’ feeling of community: “We can’t avoid the fact that a lot of the houses that families lived in when I grew up are now second homes. Even if I could afford to live in that village, it would be hard trying to find a place that’s not somebody’s second home! It’s definitely had an impact on prices of houses and rent and the community itself, the fact that these second homeowners are moving in and prising us out a bit”. (Sophie, 27)

12. Conclusion • Ability of YP to find secure housing & employment has become increasingly difficult post 2008 • Against this backdrop YP living in rural areas can be additionally disadvantaged • Issues were interwoven with local housing markets & YP’s ability to live independently • Findings consistent with previous research, published early 2000s. It seems not much has changed; situation not improved • Need for more rural specificity in policies to support YP

13. Email@ km410@st-Andrews.ac.uk Twitter: @kim_mckee

14. References • Alakeson, V. (2011) ‘Making a rented house a home: solutions for ‘Generation Rent’’, London: Resolution Foundation, http://www.regionalplatform.org.uk/write/Documents/Resolution%20Foundation%20Housing_Report_Final.pdf [accessed 16.02.2016]. • Clapham D., Mackie, P., Orford, S., Thomas, I., and Buckley, K. (2014) ‘The housing pathways of young people in the UK’, Environment and Planning A, 46, 2016-2031. • Cloke, P, Milbourne, P and Widdowfield, R. (2001) ‘Interconnecting housing, homelessness and rurality: evidence from local authority homelessness officers in England and Wales’, Journal of Rural Studies, 17, 99-111. • Howker E. and Malik, S. (2013) Jilted Generation: How Britain has Bankrupted its Youth, London: Icon Books.

15. Jones, G. (2001) ‘Fitting homes? Young people’s housing and household strategies in rural Scotland’, Journal of Youth Studies, 4, 1, 41-62. • McKee, K. (2012) ‘Young people, homeownership and future welfare’, Housing Studies, 27, 6, 853-862. • McKee, K. and Hoolachan, J.E. (2015) Housing Generation Rent: What are the Key Challenges for Housing Policy in Scotland?, St Andrews: Centre for Housing Research. • Rural Housing Policy Review Group (2015) ‘Affordable housing: a fair deal for rural communities’, Surrey: Hastoe Group, http://hastoe.com/page/772/Affordable-Housing-A-Fair-Deal-for-Rural-Communities.aspx [accessed 16.02.2016]. • Taylor, M. (2008) Living Working Countryside: The Taylor Review of Rural Economy and Affordable Housing, London: Department for Communities and Local Government. •  Willetts, D. (2011) The Pinch: How the Baby Boomers took their Children’s Future – And Why They Should Give it Back, London: Atlantic Books.