Housing

Unlike most taxes, land value tax doesn’t discourage people from working, investing or building. So why don’t we use it more?

We highlight the key theoretical predictions about rent controls and summarise what empirical research reveals about their effects in practice. 

But any strategy for boosting the economy that ignores the social consequences is dangerous

At this event, researchers presented evidence on the causes, consequences and potential policy responses to the challenge of low housing affordability

We examine the effect of the UK’s ‘Help to Buy’ schemes on housing affordability using a new approach to uncover effects for different households.

A manifesto with a vision for a bigger state but no detail on how to pay for it.

Are pensioners now better off than working-age people? We examine the data on income, wealth, housing and the future of retirement.

At this online event, IFS researchers will discuss how rising house prices shaped young people’s social mobility.

Children of parents who benefited from the 1990s house price boom subsequently had more housing wealth and were more likely to own homes in London.

The new tax on properties worth £2 million or more in 2026, levied on homeowners from April 2028, will affect London and the South East the most.
 

Freezes to local housing allowance rates have made significant differences in the level of support available across areas and property sizes.

Freezes to local housing allowances reduce the disposable incomes of low-income private renters. LHA rates should be regularly and locally uprated.

We study the reasons for rising in-work poverty in the 25 years up to the pandemic.

How council tax, stamp duty and other property taxes could be reformed to make the UK’s tax system fairer and more efficient.