What will the UK’s homes look like in five, 10 and 20 years’ time?

Posted on Monday, May 7, 2018

With the government pledging to build 300,000 new homes a year, AXA Insurance has asked the public what they think homes will look like in five, 10 and 20 years’ time.

The research found that homes are becoming increasingly multi-purpose, with a quarter of people now viewing them as places of work as well as leisure.

36% of people feel that there are more people working from home today compared to ten years ago, while 64% think that even more people will be working from home in the future.

However, even though there are now more people working from home than ever before, only a few have dedicated spaces to do this work in. Only a third (29%) of people work in a dedicated office at home, while another third (32%) work in their living rooms and 15% in their bedrooms. Most people work on their laptops (69%), while less than half have a dedicated desk, office chair or monitor.

Additionally, over a quarter (26%) of respondents believe the UK’s homes will include technology such as Hive and Alexa in the next five years.

27% believe there will be smart screens (e.g. TV screens you can use to call people etc.) throughout their homes in the next 10 years, while 25% think people will have the ability to charge electric cars at home instead of having to go to charging points.

Conversations surrounding sustainability are becoming increasingly prevalent as the world envisions the type of environment they want to live in in the future. Concerns over sustainability appear in respondents’ hopes for homes in 10 years’ time, with almost 20% thinking they will be made mostly of sustainable materials (e.g. solar panels, flood resistant technology etc.) and will also be better equipped to withstand environmental factors such as storms, rain and wind.

Meanwhile, one in five believe homes will have access to driverless cars in the next 10 years – just five years after having the ability to charge electric cars at home. There is a good reason why sustainability is so important in the future: a quarter of people (24%) think the UK’s electricity network as it currently stands would struggle to keep up with demand in 10 years’ time.

Gareth Howell, managing director at AXA Insurance, commented: “Throughout the decades AXA has seen a number of changes in the way people live their lives and the homes they reside in. Today more than ever, people are starting to use their homes for multiple purposes and are relying more heavily on new technology, and this is set to continue. In the next five, ten and twenty years we expect homes to change once again, but into what is a conversation we all need to have.”

Back to News Articles