Migrants have fuelled UK housing boom
08 October 2007
Increased immigration in the UK has been cited as one of the main reasons for house price inflation in the UK.
Research by Propertyfinder found that many homebuyers believed that the arrival of people from other countries had led to the current housing problems in Britain.
One in five respondents said the burden on the UK property market could be eased if the number of immigrants was controlled, thus slowing down the rate of price inflation.
However, the organisation has refuted the findings, saying that the research has highlighted widespread ignorance about the reasons behind the property boom.
Warren Bright, chief executive of Propertyfinder, commented: "Immigrants make high-profile scapegoats but are simply too small in number to be responsible."
He added that the house price boom predated the recent large wave of immigration, while the drift to the south by the UK's own population was said to be the main factor for prices in the region growing faster than in other parts of the country.
According to research by Nationwide, the average price of property in the UK is now £184,131.