Staying Put: A New Development in Policy?

Abstract

The ordinary housing in which most old people live is a subject of growing concern in many countries. The idea of ‘staying put’ which has emerged recently in the UK from this growing concern is thus timely for it focuses specifically on housing assistance for elderly people who remain in conventional domestic housing. This paper attempts to identify a number of cross-national trends which suggest the relevance of ‘staying put’ to other countries, and presents a detailed study of the factors shaping the development of such policy in the UK. The present legislative framework for ‘staying put’, and the extent to which it is exploited are also discussed.