ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to look at the extent of the user control of housing and the ways in which this can be developed. The case for user control in housing is strong. It rests both on the general case for giving people more control over their lives, and on the particular features of housing as a commodity basic to human needs, whose use is, or should be, solely the concern of the occupier. The only exception is the relatively few instances where there are implications for other occupiers, most of which can be dealt with by occupiers acting collectively. Unlike some other public services, the use of housing does not require specialist skills, except of course for the technical skills associated with the structure of the house. Armed with the advice of building surveyors, a household is the best judge of how to make maximum use of a dwelling.
