Home is where the office is: ‘house happy’ Brits prefer their properties since lockdown

A study shows that British people prefer their own homes since being forced to stay there during lockdown as a result of Covid-19 pandemic.

Headlines:

People have largely felt comfortable in their homes during lockdown – and one in five have grown to like their home even more
Moving is not on the cards: people would prefer to stay put and adapt their homes to have more space if working more from home
Most popular adaptations are building a garden office or making the house less open-plan

After ten weeks of lockdown, are people getting sick of their homes? Not according to new research from Just Group that shows people are largely as happy – or even happier.

When asked how working from home during COVID-19 had changed people’s perception of their house, 46% responded that ‘it feels like a comfortable place to be,’ while one in five (21%) said they liked their home more than before.

The idea that people are sick of their houses would seem to be false, as just one in eight (13%) said their home now felt ‘like a prison cell’.

The research also found few were considering seeking out bigger properties if working from home becomes more commonplace. When asked what measures they would take if working from home continued past lockdown, nearly two-thirds (62%) said they would make no changes. Fewer than one in ten would move to a house with enough space for an office (8%) – a less popular option than building an office in the garden (12%) or adapting the house to become less open-plan (11%).

Stephen Lowe, group communications director at Just Group, said:

“During this lockdown period, our homes have played a more important role in our lives than ever before. Instead of finding fault with their homes or wanting to move elsewhere, people tell us they would overwhelmingly prefer to remain where they are and adapt for a ‘new normal’ of working from home.”

Over half of respondents (52%) said the coronavirus lockdown has had a big impact on their working pattern – they have either made the transition to working from home, or remained at home after being furloughed.

Stephen Lowe added:

“The UK’s lockdown has raised questions about our relationships with where we live, as it becomes our workplace as well as our home. It is clear that many have adapted well to these new circumstances in a very short space of time and feel their house is well-suited to working from home.”

If you were to work from home more often once lockdown measures have ended, would you make changes to create or improve your home office workspace? Multiple selection response

Yes, building a separate outdoor space, e.g. a garden office	12%
Yes, adapting my house to become less open-plan	11%
Yes, moving to a house with enough room for an office	8%
Yes, extending my home	7%
Yes, other	4%
No	62%