Digital Housing Market Gap Discovered in the UK

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roadfish.com

I don’t think organizations or government can simply put information online and walk away from it, believing that if it’s out there everyone will be able to retrieve it.

New York, NY (PRWEB) June 22, 2012

RoadFish.com men’s lifestyle and finance magazine today encouraged the British government to utilize more face-to-face means to reach out to struggling tenants and homeowners who have no access to the crucial housing information online. A digital housing market gap is emerging between those who have knowledge of the importance of the internet for researching complex housing questions, and those who have little understanding and even less access to the internet.

According the journalist Jeremy Kuper of European news publication the Guardian, England is currently largely divided due to the recent Eurozone crisis and the state of the European housing market. There are estate agents and homeowners who have reaped the benefits of the steadily growing home values, and the reverse situation where tenants are forced to pay steeper rents because of it. There was also reportedly a jump in homelessness in the first quarter of 2012, stemming from others who have lost their homes entirely. Kuper reports that though there is a wealth of knowledge and housing advice online that could serve as a crucial guide with regards to complex housing issues, the Brits who are most in need of this information are in actuality the ones who have the most trouble accessing the information. The article reports that a “digital divide” is materializing in the UK, differentiating those who are able to take advantage of the information surrounding their complex housing situations and those who cannot.

RoadFish.com believes that there needs to be some sort of material aid to families who do not have internet access. RoadFish.com’s Senior staff writer is quoted as saying, “It is unbelievable that in this day and age, the wealth of knowledge on the world wide web can actually serve as something of a handicap to those who don’t have access to it. Evidently the access is setting some folks head and shoulders above those who cannot take advantage, and there has to be a way around this. I don’t think organizations or government can simply put information online and walk away from it, believing that if it’s out there everyone will be able to retrieve it. There needs to be other, personal ways to gain this knowledge—agents, government workers, housing advisors, who can provide face-to-face or even phone advice and counseling.”

The above-mentioned Guardian article states that one of the most common housing problems searched for online has to do with the disrepair in a rented flat or home. Kuper points out however that 5.7 million households within the UK have no internet access, and thus no way to come into contact with this information. Further, he states that people with more luxuries such as laptops and smart phones tend to also be more web savvy, understanding that they can retrieve answers to complex questions about the housing market online. And it is precisely these people who are succeeding, while those with less means fall further behind.

RoadFish.com urges those in need of counsel to seek other means of accessing the information. RoadFish.com’s Senior staff writer is quoted saying, “Surely there must be libraries for folks to visit to have internet access, or the houses of friends and family members. I don’t believe that’s the biggest issue, however. I believe it’s that many of these families don’t realize how useful and potentially life changing the information online could be, thus they are not taking extreme measures to get to it. They might not even realize it’s there. Therefore, the responsibility lies on the shoulders of the government to do something to spread awareness and make aid far more accessible to those who need it.”

Unfortunately according to the above-mentioned Guardian article, Kuper states that most in-person housing advice is reliant on funding from legal aid. Reportedly, only the neediest of the needy are granted access to this kind of care, while the government continues to move further away from face-to-face counseling in an effort to use telephone advice. Kuper states the most vulnerable Brits who are facing eviction or foreclosure risk falling through the digital gap that appears to be growing as the government moves away from in-person aid and pushes the digital agenda as a solution.

About RoadFish.com

RoadFish.com is an online men's lifestyle and finance magazine targeted toward men in their 30's and 40's that have already attained a moderate level of success in life, and are striving toward more. It goes over current events of interest to this group, such things as exciting adventures, consumer interests, hot chicks, and the latest in the U.S. housing market as well as ways to make more and save more money. It is a publication owned by Purpose Inc.

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