ABSTRACT
The 18-year period of Conservative Government from 1979 to 1997 witnessed profound changes in British housing policy. It could be said that the Thatcherite principles of competition, promotion of the free market, and privatisation can be more clearly identified in housing policy than any other area of social policy. Privatisation was introduced to housing on a scale never before imagined. An additional attraction of home ownership in Northern Ireland is the fact that house prices are the lowest in the UK and the market has not witnessed the fluctuations experienced in the rest of the UK. Respondents were asked whether, if they had a free choice, they would rent or buy their home. The vast majority, 88 per cent, of respondents reported that they would buy their home. Those who had not entered into home ownership were asked to give reasons for not purchasing their own homes.
