Publisher's Synopsis
Approximately two thirds of households in Britain own their homes and have prime responsibility for their upkeep and improvement. The spending choices that individual owners make are the main determinant of the condition of the privately-owned dwelling stock, yet little is known of their investment behaviour and even less of the factors that moderate this investment. This report describes the findings of two parallel studies of homeowner behaviour and attitudes to repair, maintenance and improvement - one looking at a sample of households scattered across a wide range of dwelling types and areas in central Scotland, the other focusing on areas of pre-1919 terraced and interwar semi-detached housing in Bristol, Leicester and London. Through household interviews and house inspections, Make do and mend?: examines how owners identify the need for repair, maintenance and improvement and decide on the most appropriate course of action/inaction; looks at the process of organising and paying for building work; draws the findings together and reviews the motivations and constraints which influence repair and maintenance and improvement behaviour; examines the implications of these findings for policy. With resources for state intervention in private renovation static or falling, it is increasingly important to develop a better understanding of homeowners' attitudes and behaviour as a basis for policy. Make do and mend? identifies ways in which government, local authorities, housing associations, home improvement agencies, financial institutions, professionals and other organisations can encourage more effective private investment and the more effective use of public money.
