Local property developer Tim Healey is building on five sites across the city of Manchester ranging from mill conversions to hotels and new apartments. One of Tim’s largest projects is the creation of a whole new neighbourhood; called Campus, it’s on the site of the old university and includes five hundred apartments. Manctopia: Billion Pound Property Boom III
Manchester’s newest apartment block – the West Tower – has opened to its first residents today. 44 floors of the West Tower are owned by pension giant Legal & General, and all 350 of its apartments are available to rent. Manctopia: Billion Pound Property Boom IV
The last great vision for high-rise living in Manchester was after the slum clearances of the 1960s when the council wanted to create new communities and streets in the sky. But just 21 years after they were built they were demolished. ibid.
‘The corporation decided for them and it decided wrong.’ ibid. old documentary commentary
The granddaddy of them all: Windsor Castle. While it may not be called a palace, for 900 years this fortress has been a home from home to Britain’s royalty … ‘Windsor castle is the largest occupied castle on the planet …’ This vast royal home comprises 951 rooms including 225 bedrooms and covers some 13 acres, and the look is straight out of a fairy-book. Secrets of the Royal Palaces III, Channel 5 2021
The Queen’s Doll’s House: built in the 1920s … showcasing contributions from 1,500 of the finest craftsmen and manufacturers of the day, this was not your average doll’s house ... ‘there was bathrooms, a garage, cellars, a vault, kitchens, it’s simply the most spectacular doll’s house anywhere in the world’ … including 700 paintings … real jewellers and goldsmiths … a library an envy of any book club ... no detail was too small … ‘electricity was installed throughout the house’ … proper taps with hot and cold running water … even the cellar is the real deal. ibid.
By the look in your eye
I can tell you’re gonna cry
Is it over me?
If it is, save your tears
For I’m not worth it
You see
For I’m the type of boy who is always on the roam
Wherever I lay my hat that’s my home
I’m telling you that’s my home
You had romance
Did you break it by chance
Over me?
If it’s so, I’d like for you to know
That I’m not worth it
You see
For I’m the type of boy who is always on the roam
Wherever I lay my hat that’s my home
That’s my home. Marvin Gaye et al, song Wherever I Lay My Hat
And we say to Mr Cutler and his band of brigands in County Hall that we are not paying a penny more now, tomorrow or never. Not a Penny on the Rents, tenant, 1968
Tenants’ action: September 22 to November 19 1968. ibid. caption
‘If there’s any chance of my husband and myself and the children going squatting again, we would be very grateful to go. Because they was the only people who had the decency to help us. The Camden council have not. Squatters, woman, short 17.09, 1970
‘The authorities cannot and will not solve the housing situation.’ ibid. man
The force of the law was used to aid property rackets. ibid.
‘These evictions by Council and Quatermain were absolutely and entirely illegal.’ ibid.
After the dust had settled, ten million Americans had been evicted or otherwise lost their homes in the years following the crash. America’s Looming Eviction Crisis, Youtube 11.29, Second Thought 2020
To make matters worse, the repossessed homes were then snapped up by wealthy individuals and corporations as investment properties. ibid.
According to current projections, of the 110 million Americans currently living in rental properties, at least 20% of them are facing eviction. ibid.
‘A staggering shortage of homes on the market right now.’ America’s Looming Housing Crisis, news, Youtube 14.03, Second Thought 2021
The US is on a collision course with another housing crisis. ibid.
‘Red Hot Housing Market: high demand, bidding wars strip some of homeowner dream.’ ibid. ABC News banner
The pace of housing production has slowed dramatically. ibid.
Entire generations of American no longer being able to afford single family homes; we have rapidly increasing rent prices to the point where an eviction crisis is very likely. ibid.
A place to call home and a decent place at that. For hours over the last few weeks politicians have talked about houses … To millions of people in Britain today a decent place to live is home. World in Action: Living in Slums, ITV 1963
It’s going to be the biggest change in generations. The homes we live in and the cars we drive all transformed. Heat Pumps: What They Really Mean For You, BBC 2023
Heat pumps: ‘This is an £18,000 installation.’ ibid.
The government intends to ban the sale of new gas boilers by 2035. ibid.
Current models are 3 to 5 times more energy efficient than traditional boilers. ibid.
The problem is most British homes just aren’t as well insulated. ibid.
The belt-tightening the majority of Australians have endured over the past year has caused enormous hardship. 60 Minutes Australia: The Year of Living Cheaply, 2024
Some experts say much of this cost of living pain could have and should have been avoided. ibid.
Radically, they [young couple] plan to turn these three shipping containers on their property into their new mortgage-free home. ibid.
Australia’s insurance crisis. The price we’re paying for living in the unlucky country. 60 Minutes Australia: Homeowners v Insurance Companies, 2025
When it comes to insuring our homes and businesses, Australia is fast becoming the unlucky country … For those who can get cover, premiums are skyrocketing. ibid.
London’s housing crisis is pushing thousands into the shadows, behind closed doors into overcrowded and illegal homes. For Rent: Rooms Under the Radar, BBC 2025
‘These are families with children. Young children.’ ibid. comment
It’s about exploitation and a housing system on the edge. ibid.
‘At any given moment there would be more than 18 people in there.’ ibid.
Glastenbury Tor, an ancient site of magic and mystery; a place perhaps to being a bizarre latter-day mystery tale. The villains in this strange story are not immediately obvious, but the victims certainly are. First on the list, a few miles up the road from here, the Price family, who are convicted there’s something very nasty in the air. The Cook Report s1e3: Close Encounters, ITV 1987
In five frightening years, six washing machines, three television sets, two cookers, and numerous small appliances have burst into flames. ibid.
The Price’s home is close to an 11,000-volt transformer. ibid.
As many as 10 incidents a day. ibid.