Housing

• House or Bungalow - detached, semi detached or terraced
• Flat or Maisonette - Can be purpose built or exist as part of a property.  FLAT = a room or set of rooms located in a larger building. MAISONETTE = an apartment or flat on two levels with internal stairs or has its own entrance at street level.

• Renting from a registered social landlord -  RSLs are independent and non-profit making. They are sometimes called housing associations and are important providers of social housing. SOCIAL HOUSING is the term used to describe affrodable homes provided by councils and RSLs. 
• Renting from a private landlord - A private landlord is a person or company that owns propety which is rented out to make a profit
• Housing tenure - The term tenure is used to describe the type of property held or lived in. This could be owner - occupied or rented.

• Conventional home purchase - A major financial commitment which will involve many costs. These include a deposit, legal fees, stamp duty, land tax and searches. The majority of individuals and familis require a mortgae to buy a property. A MORTGAGE is a loan from a bank etc to buy a home. There are 2 main types of mortgage : a repayment mortgae and an interest-only mortgage. Failing to make regular mortgage repayments can result in reposession which is when the lender reclaims the property due to failure by the borrower to pay mortgage instalments.

Low-cost home ownership - To help individuals and families purchase a home, the government funds HomeBuy schemes. The scheme gives those eligible the oppurtunity to purchase part of their home and begin building their own equity.

Here are the main schemes -

• New build HomeBuy scheme - Government-funded shared ownership scheme, buy 50% and pay rent on rest, For key workers and first time buyers
• Social HomeBuy scheme - This allows social housing tenants to buy a share in their current home at a considerable discount or to buy outright.
• Open market HomeBuy - This is a governement-supported scheme. It aims to help certain groups of people who cannot afford to buy a home on the open market to purchase a home.

When growing elderly it is harder to live independently.

The key characteristics of sheltered accomodation:

• A warden lives in the accomadtion or nearby
• Residents have an alarm system to contact the warden
• Accomodation can be purchased or rented
• 'Very sheltered housing' - is for people with disabilities or the very frail. More personal care, specialised facilities and trained staff are available
• Local authorities supply some accomodation but places are limited. Private companies and trusts are important providers

'Housing design must support independent living for all people- irrespective of disibility or circumstances'

Joesph Rowntree foundation developed the concept of 'Lifetime Homes' in 1991. These have 16 design features that ensure a home will be flexible enough to meet the existing and changing needs of households.

Key requirements cover -

• Car parking space
• Doorways and hallway - to accomodate a wheelchair
• Living room windows to be low and easy to operate
• Not insolation
• Roads should have low speed limits

• Families with dependent young children
• Students
  
• Families with dependent older members
• Physically disabled individuals
• Single person households

The Management of energy

• Cavity wall insulation
• Double or triple glazing
• Loft insulation
• Tank and pipes insulation
• External wall insulation
• Heating and hot water
• Floor insulation
• Draught proofing

The Management of Time

• Number of individuals in the houshold and their level of dependency
• Domestic tasks are time consuming, Some people buy ing serivces - Household cleaning, Ironing and oven cleaning
• Electrical appliances SAVE time such as dishwashers, microwaves and food processors

The Management of Money

• Organise financial resources - Budget plan
• Most households have a monthly mortgage or rent payment
• Pay for services they use - gas, electricity, water supply etc
• Some set aside for unforesenn emergencies
• Saved for significant purchases
• Home computer and specialist software programs can help with budgeting
• Timers to control central heating systems
• Thermostates to monitor room temperature
• Shopping online can reduce household expenditure

Community Facilities and amenities

• Transport
• Medical services
• Shopping
• Schools
• Leisure