Homebuilders urged to build more bungalows as demand soars

The bungalow has often been considered the perfect retirement property, well suited to those in later life. But after research suggested they are being snapped up by much younger buyers, calls are growing for house builders to address the 'chronic shortage' of single-storey homes given their popularity.

The research, published by the HomeOwners Alliance, suggested that 38 per cent of homeowners aged 55-plus would prefer a bungalow for their next move. However, figures from warranty provider the National House Building Council revealed that bungalows made up just 1 per cent of new home registrations last year. 

Paula Higgins, chief executive of HomeOwners Alliance, said: 'Our research shows that too many older homeowners feel stuck in homes that no longer work for them.' 

Stancliffe Homes has built bungalows across many of our schemes consistently for the last 7 years and it is clear to us that there is a major shortage of bungalows and a lack of supply of suitable homes for the increasing elderly population across the UK.

Prioritising the construction of bungalows isn't just about meeting a very clear demand, it's about enabling older people to live independently, stay connected to communities, and freeing up larger family homes for younger generations.

The HomeOwners Alliance survey also indicated that people aged 55-plus were more likely than homeowners of other ages to say the stress of moving and not wanting to move away from friends and neighbours were a barrier to selling up.

With many older homeowners having built up equity in their property, house prices and moving costs were less of a barrier to moving home than they are for younger generations, the survey indicated.

At Stancliffe, our latest development, Kingswood Park, is specifically for those over the age of 55 and includes five different styles of highly energy efficient bungalows. All of these bungalows meet the very best in energy efficiency standards, coming with air source heat pumps, underfloor heating, solar panels, EV charging points and much more.