The publication comes at a time of tight national budgets and uncertainty. Drawing on the latest statistics, the Autumn Briefing assesses the implications of new policy and market developments in thirteen different topic areas, several of which are UK-wide.

Key themes include:

• Housing as a political issue
• The housing market in flux
• Challenges around the management of social housing stock
• The need for supported housing and refugee accommodation
• Key housing policy issues from each of the devolved nations, and the consequences of Westminster’s March budget cuts.

The impact of the cost of living crisis is underlined in several articles, including one examining if the way we measure inflation inadequately reflects housing costs, highlighting that the affordability crisis for mortgage payers and renters is not fully recognised in monetary policy.

The Autumn Briefing Paper has been co-authored by the UK Housing Review’s team of authors, Mark Stephens, John Perry, Peter Williams and Gillian Young, with contributions from Matthew Scott and Matthew Dicks of CIH, Susan J Smith of Girton College, Cambridge, John Boyle of Rettie & Co, Sarah Rowe of Crisis and Joe Frey of the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE). The UK Housing Review series is published by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH).

Commenting on the Autumn Briefing Paper publication, CIH chief executive Gavin Smart said: “When we released the 2023 UK Housing Review earlier this year, we highlighted the urgent need for more affordable housing investment. The Autumn Briefing Paper has been written when economic and inflationary pressures continue to deepen the housing crisis. It gives us further evidence of the critical role housing policy ought to play in protecting households from the wide-reaching effects of continued economic pressure.”

Mark Stephens, professor of urban studies at the University of Glasgow and the Review’s editor, added: “The rise in interest rates to counter inflation has exposed the weak foundations that have passed for housing policy since the financial crisis 15 years ago. During that period, ultra-low interest rates supported unaffordable house prices to the benefit of existing owners whilst others have become increasingly dependent on expensive and insecure private rented accommodation.

“As the election approaches, this Briefing Paper signals to all parties the need for a fundamental shift in housing policy, including how we tax housing wealth, regulate rental housing and, crucially, the need for a long-term commitment to increasing the supply of social housing.”

The UK Housing Review Autumn Briefing Paper is a free resource published by the Chartered Institute of Housing, made possible with the support of Campbell Tickell, Clarion, Crisis, Grand Union Housing Group, Guinness Partnership, the Housing Studies Charitable Trust, London & Quadrant, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Places for People, Paradigm Housing, the Scottish Government, Settle Group, Sovereign, The Housing Finance Corporation, and the Welsh Government.