Changing Rooms! Nearly 9 MILLION bedrooms lost in the UK after homeowners repurposed their homes during the pandemic
17th February 2022
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41% of British homeowners adapted their home to suit their changing needs during the course of the pandemic, sacrificing around 8.8m bedrooms in the process
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In their place nearly five million new home offices have been created, alongside over one million home gyms
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The average household spent £3,714 adapting their home during the pandemic - that’s a national total of approximately £36.5 billion
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Nearly 7 in 10 think employers should contribute to the cost of home offices, but only 30% have
Thursday 17th February, 2022, London: More than four in ten British homeowners (41%) adapted their home to suit their changing needs during the pandemic, costing the nation a huge £36.5 billion, according to new research from Zoopla, the UK’s leading property destination.
How have our homes changed?
Zoopla surveyed homeowners across the UK to understand how the nation’s room requirements have shifted due to the pandemic and how our homes have changed as a result. Amongst those who said they had to make changes, more than half (53%) say they have entirely repurposed at least one bedroom whilst one in five households (22%) have lost multiple bedrooms. Nationally, this equates to a whopping 8,856,000 bedrooms that have been ‘lost’ amongst the UK’s 24m privately owned homes during the pandemic.
With remote and hybrid working now set to be a mainstay for many, almost half (46%) of those who have made changes have created a home office - which equates to over 4.5m new home offices emerging across the UK. Of these, over half (58%) say that they plan to permanently keep it.
Alongside home offices, there are plenty of other ways Brits have reincarnated rooms in their home since March 2020. Nearly 1.3m home gyms have been created, alongside 984,000 home bars, nearly 900,000 home cinemas or music rooms and 688,800 dedicated classrooms.
The cost of reincarnation
Repurposing entire rooms doesn’t come cheap. The research shows that UK homeowners who adapted their homes spent an average of £3,714, with home offices costing on average £1,735, gyms £1,568 and home cinemas £3,841. Nationally, this is a total of £36.5 billion.
Home offices in particular have been one of the more contentious room changes, with many being forced to give up living space in order to simply carry out their job. In fact, 16% of homeowners who created one say they resent giving up space in their home for the benefit of their employer.
Nearly seven in ten (67%) believe that employers should pay all or some of the cost of setting up a home office, with 12% thinking that they should even offer compensation for the space lost. However, the reality is that just 2% of those who set up home offices say that their employer offered compensation, and only 30% say they made any contributions towards costs at all. Just 10% covered the full costs.
An unhappy compromise?
For those who have had to repurpose rooms, more than half (55%) say this has meant they have had to compromise on their space at home, leaving homeowners less happy with the space they have. Amongst those who have, 28% say they now have less space for guests to stay, 21% say they have less or no privacy and 11% state that their children now have to share a bedroom.
However, this feeling of not being completely happy with your home rises significantly amongst younger homeowners who likely have smaller properties. More than eight in ten (83%) homeowners under 25, 78% aged 25 - 34 and 65% aged 35 - 44 say they are currently having to compromise with their living spaces.
For many, having to change their home setup during the pandemic has highlighted the need to find somewhere new and better suited to their changed needs. Of homeowners who have made changes, nearly a third (32%) say that this has made them consider moving home.
Daniel Copley, consumer spokesperson at Zoopla says: “We were blown away by the figures showing the extent to which our homes have changed as a result of the pandemic. It’s not surprising that with so many bedrooms lost, and many home offices set to become a permanent fixture, many homeowners will have realised now is the time for a new home with more space.
“Whilst some may think it isn’t affordable, we know that many homeowners actually have far more equity in their home than they realise, which could make a move into a more suitable home a possibility. We’ve heaps of tools on Zoopla to help Brits find the right home for their post-pandemic needs - whether that is searching for homes with specific room types to suit their needs, or somewhere within their budget that offers them a little more space.”
Nick Neill, Managing Director at EweMove Sales & Lettings says: "Although many believe that their employer should contribute to the cost of setting up a home office, it's important to consider other factors such as reduced commuter costs and the ability to use the time spent commuting on personal endeavours such as benefitting a converted gym.
"The rise of open plan living also means that it can be tricky to find space to set up a home office, but it really does present a more flexible property for buyers to consider purchasing if you do decide to sell in the future. It's also worth considering a garden office - which could be anything from a glorified shed to a swanky purpose-built luxury cabin. Not only can it enable a better work/life balance and space to work outside of the family home, but it will definitely add value to your property and not take it away, which could be the case if you convert a bedroom."
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For further information, please contact PR Team on pr@zoopla.co.uk or +44 (0)20 3873 8770.
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